Hudson Events at Fall AACA Meet, Hershey, Pa.

Jon B

The Hershey, Pennsylvania AACA flea market and car show schedule has changed for 2022.  The flea market will be held Tues - Wed - Thurs, October 4, 5, and 6 and the car show's on Friday, Oct. 7.

The traditional gathering for Hudson enthusiasts during "Hershey week"  will take place in Carlisle, as follows:

1. Twenty rooms will be blocked for Hudson people at the Quality Inn motel outside Carlisle, Pa.  Rooms will be set aside for us at a discount rate, from Monday night the 3rd through Friday night the 7th.  Each party will book and pay for its own room.  See the last paragraph, below, for more on booking a room.

2. We will attempt to have some sort of hospitality room at the motel, with snacks, possibly on Thursday and Friday nights.

3. A Hudson dinner get-together will take place Thursday night at 6:30 PM, at Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, 909 Walnut Bottom Rd., Carlisle.  A private room has been reserved, and each party may pay on separate checks (no reservations necessary).  The restaurant is at exit 45 of Interstate 81 (four exits south of Harrisburg Pike).  Upon exiting, turn south onto Walnut Bottom; Hoss’s is next to McDonald’s.  All Hudson enthusiasts are invited, not just H-E-T members!  This is a nice chance for newbies to meet long-time Hudsonites.

4. We'll hold our traditional Hudson parts flea market in the motel parking lot on Saturday morning between 8 AM and noon. The motel does NOT want us to have the flea market Friday, because that is a busy day for large trucks in the motel parking lot.  We had briefly considered Friday, but that's no longer possible.

5. Of course, throughout the week (Tues. through Fri.) we'll maintain the H-E-T Club recruitment / hospitality booth in the Red Field spaces RNE 24-25 at the flea market in Hershey.  If you can't do anything else at Hershey, at least stop by, say hello, and sign the guest book!

We would value your thoughts and suggestions, either in replies posted here, or sent directly to me at xxxdetailed@verizon.net  (delete the xxx before sending).  If you'd be willing to help out at the Club booth in Hershey, please contact me.  It's a great way to meet fellow Hudson enthusiasts from (literally!) around the world.  (Also, we would rejoice if a few public-spirited Hudsonites could step forward and volunteer to join a committee to coordinate the Hershey Hudson Events yearly.  I need a rest...)

NOTE: MORE DETAILS ON THE HOTEL, AND BOOKING A ROOM, ARE AVAILABLE AT THE H-E-T FORUM, LOCATED AT THE H-E-T WEBSITE, https://hetclub.org/,  SELECT "FORUM" FROM DROP DOWN MENU. OR GO DIRECT TO https://hetclub.org/index.php?option=com_kunena&view=topic&catid=2&id=6354&Itemid=1367

eddiehudson

Jon

You are the backbone of the "Hershey" meet. Any place you pick will be fine with me. Did you get any feedback about last years motel? 

Jon B

Ed, of the 19 people who booked rooms at the Quality Inn I got feedback as follows:

Two had minor-to-medium complaints, but "would return".

One serious complaint (said they would not stay there again).

Eight OK's (including me)

Eight -- did not get a comment from.

I'm afraid that -- no matter which moderately priced motel I picked -- I'd get the same range of opinions.   I'm inclined to go with the Quality again, but I need to see what sort of deal they'd give us, to book a block of rooms.

eddiehudson

Jon,

I remember someone complaining that the grass was too long at the front door and someone else complaining that the truck parking area in the back was too bumpy.

I'm sure the "breakfast with Jimmy Dean" will be corrected this year. After trying it on Tuesday I donated 2 days worth to a friend at Hershey. I think he's still a friend.

You could always book a few rooms at the Hotel Hershey for those who dislike the Quality Inn.

50C8DAN

For what it is worth I used booking.com whenever I travel on business or vacation to a new place.  Their rating system, by users is usually spot on!  Anything over 7.5 is usually quite nice.  Here it is for Charlisle https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=Carlisle,+PA,+USA&ssne=Carlisle,+PA,+USA&ssne_untouched=Carlisle,+PA,+USA&label=gen173nr-1DCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaJkCiAEBmAExuAEHyAEN2AED6AEB-AEDiAIBqAIDuAKD3MSTBsACAdICJDhhMzAzYjVlLWM4MzYtNDZjZi1hNjdmLTFiNjg5ODRjYjczYdgCBOACAQ&sid=42b91cf369caf972872d00853a0d3d2d&aid=304142&lang=en-us&sb=1&src_elem=sb&src=searchresults&latitude=40.2010241&longitude=-77.2002745&checkin=2022-10-05&checkout=2022-10-06&group_adults=2&no_rooms=1&group_children=0&sb_travel_purpose=leisure

eddiehudson

Since the only time I stay in a motel is when I go to Hershey, I am not familiar with room rates. I went to that site and changed it to 30 adults and 20 rooms. The prices for a night went down quite a bit. The Quality Inn price went from $103 to $64. The cheapest was about $30 but I think that was in a barn sleeping with the goats.

Jon B

Thanks, Dan and Ed, for looking into this.  As with everything else, the price for rooms at the Quality Inn has jumped this year.  I've been given a price of $84 (plus 9% tax) per room this year.  And they'll throw in the use of their banquet room for our hospitality room (for two nights during the week).  Sorry, no rollaway cots available this year.  A block of 20 rooms will be available to our Hudson people at that rate, from Monday, Oct. 3 until Saturday morning, Oct. 8.  Each person would rent their own room for the time period they desire.

Yes, this charge is more per room than it was last year -- and it's not the Statler-Hilton.  But in most cases our Hudson people were okay with it, though there were complaints here and there.  No hard feelings if you want to stay at a higher-class motel nearby, and then join us for merrymaking at the hospitality room and Saturday morning Hudson flea market (if there is one!).

I haven't signed the agreement with the motel yet but intend to.  Contact me with any questions, at the e-mail address shown in my first posting, above.

eddiehudson

Count me in starting on Monday.

Will we be having breakfast with Jimmy Dean this year? :

Jon B

Fresh waffles, hot coffee and tea, cereal, yogurt and fruit.  If you want more, the Middlesex Diner is a 4 minute walk.

eddiehudson

I just made my reservations, 5 nights for $457.80. 

GTOGUY

What ever you decide we’ll be fine with us we will make our reservation today thanks brian 

46HudsonPU

The 'biggest' thing I noticed this year is the change in the schedule, driven/pushed by Hershey Park.
No 'Saturday car show' any longer, it is now done on Friday.  If you've made reservations based on previous years' event schedule, you'll need to adjust for a Friday evening departure..
Apparently 'Hershey Park' does not like the idea of the Saturday car show detracting & pulling people from what is one of the last 'good/decent' Saturdays of the year - so in order to increase their revenue, they put the pressure on the AACA to adjust their days.
Not thrilled with the change - Hershey's probably hoping that those attending the AACA event will 'stay over' and go to the park on Saturday (?). 
Too bad, I always enjoyed the Saturday event.
Maybe AACA needs to look at changing the venue (to Carlisle, etc., on an 'open' weekend.?), since Hershey apparently doesn't fully appreciate the influx of people & revenue (unless they are coming to their Park and on their 'Chocolate Factory Tour' (?).
That decision / change 'put the last nail in the coffin', at least for me.  I'll be looking for other events to attend, and hope that AACA either moves the event, or shows some gumption and insists on Saturdays..

eddiehudson

I got my Flea Market stickers on Monday. Only 1 month to go.

I can't see any difference between having the car show on Friday instead of Saturday, but time will tell.

bull_islander

wasn't thrilled to see the change and it seems counter to attracting 'younger' people by eliminating a weekend day.  But likely a win for those that do Carlisle the week before and are leaving Thursday night anyway.  The fall events at these amusement parks are huge so I can understand why they (Hershey) are trying to get the best of both worlds.  I enjoyed access to Hershey Park many years ago when the park was open while the event was being held.  But that was also back when the AACA event was on the grass (mud) and the paved parking was shared between the venues.  I'm usually there Wed to Sat (3 days off work, 4 days in PA total).  This year will be Tues to Thur to maintain the three days off of work, but will be one less day in PA.  I'm sure other places would love to play host for the event, but the infrastructure to do it and for the location to have the volunteer manpower (Hershey region members), I would imagine it would be quite the challenge for all involved to re-invent the event at a new location.  

bull_islander

On the flip side, if planning a three day visit, the timing could be nice.  Thursday for the flea market as it should be in full swing.  Friday for the car show (and it will be interesting to see how active the flea market may still be?).  Then Carlisle for the HET group on Saturday.  Not a schedule that will work for me, but that's a good three days.

Jon B

The flea market will be held Saturday morning from 8 AM to noon.  Some people had asked if we could hold a flea market Friday.  The motel has asked us NOT to do this because of the volume of traffic (mostly tractor-trailers) in the lot on Friday.