Arthritis Auto Show      {A.A.S.}

Jim and Pam Neusser, trip guides

To answer your very first question, no, this has nothing to do with a car show for people with arthritis.  To answer what is probably your next question, the auto show is Friday and Saturday, July 9-10, 2010, in Dublin, Ohio.  Your third question, we’re guessing, is, “So why are we reading about a July car show in a February newsletter?”  That question will be answered shortly.

The Arthritis Auto Show (A.A.S.) is celebrating its 28th anniversary this year.  Just to hit the highlights (more details will follow in a later Exhaust Notes), the car show raises funds for the Central Ohio Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.  The first day of the car show (Friday, July 9) is a “cruise-in”.  Participants win 6-foot tall trophies in a variety of categories, and entries include cars from as early as the 50’s and cover a very wide range of car types.  The 2009 cruise-in drew more than 1,500 entrants from over 20 states.  Saturday (July 10) will be the Classic Auto Show, which is considered the main show of the A.A.S.  The Classic show features cars going back to the “Model T” era, and includes a wide spectrum of hundreds of cars.  Trophies, of course, are also awarded in many categories in the Classic show.

Each year the A.A.S. features three marque cars.  For 2010 those cars are the Datsun/Nissan Z, the Corvair, and . . . . . . the Mazda Miata!

Public admission to the show is $10, and includes the show, awards ceremonies, and musical entertainment Friday and Saturday evenings.  The location of the event is just off I-270, using exits 17A or 15.  The event is only a couple of minutes away from the Mall at Tuttle Crossing (which has 130 or so shops/restaurants/businesses).  Five minutes away is Olde Towne Dublin, the historical area that is not to be missed.

Ok, now the answer to question number 3.  Reservations go incredibly fast for events in Dublin and the greater Columbus area, a fact to which the Neusser’s can readily attest.  So if you have the slightest interest in maybe/possibly/remotely attending this event, please lock in a reservation somewhere as soon as possible -- you can always cancel it later if things change.  The Neusser’s have reservations for the Embassy Suites, which is located within walking distance of the A.A.S.  We have not tried to reserve a block of rooms at any one hotel, however, because of the wide range of cost of accommodations and the variety of discounts offered.  So our idea is simply that we’ll lead a group down to Dublin (following back roads from the Medina area) on Thursday afternoon (July 8), check-in at wherever hotel/motels we are collectively staying, and then meet for dinner.  We’ll also try to somewhat coordinate the group (including an area for club parking at the event) during the 2-day activities.  If some club members want to come down Friday morning or evening, or even Saturday morning, we’ll do our best to hook them up with the group of us already there.

A wealth of info about the A.A.S. can be found at www.arthritisautoshow.com.  Be sure to take time to check the dropdown list under each of the links.  One list contains “accommodations”,  but you’d probably do better just to search the Internet for “Dublin Ohio hotels and motels”.  Most A.A.S.  links contain photos -- even the link called “Links”.

Please email us (jnpn@roadrunner.com) or phone us (330-666-1645) with questions you may have about the A.A.S.  Also, please let us know when you sign up for the trip where you’ll be staying and/or if you are joining us for the trip down, or if you are just driving down later.