Oh, right.   I never told you what the 3rd one we looked at  —  and ultimately purchased  —  was.   'Twas a 1971 VW Bus.

Teeter Totter     The Car Games

   The Car Games always attract a lot of spectators  —  and a goodly number of participants too.   This is a teeterboard.   You might call it a car-sized seesaw.   And the idea is to drive up onto  —  and balance it.   I know.   Doesn't look too easy.   And it snot.   Let's see how a few of our 2007 Duryea Day attempters do.   But be forewarned:  though the peanut gallery will assuredly leer & cheer  —  they've also been known to jeer, upon occasion.   Ok.   Who's first ?  

(right)   Ah yes.   Dave Sells, of Spring City, Pennsylvania, with his beautiful "Peachmobile."   It's a chopped and channeled 1947 Chevrolet coupe  —  and he does very well.   Applause please.

(left)   Next ?   This burgundy 1946 Chevrolet pickup truck is owned, and driven, by Robert Urban of Lititz, Pennsylvania  —  and he dood it too.   More applause please.   •••   I love watching the facial expression as a driver gets the board to balance.   There is always a look of satisfaction  —  but with a shade of surprise too.      They're cute.

(right)   This white 1963 Chevy Corvair 2-door coupe is original throughout, and currently has 69,000 miles on her.   Guy Manwiller, of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, is at the wheel grinning, as he has just commanded his mastery of our seesaw  —  see ?   Wooh!

(left)   Planning to pickup some pointers on perfection ?   Then peer here at perennial platform participant John Stine.   Peerless performance is possible  —  as Joyce and hubby prove.

This red 1934 Ford pickup truck, owned by John & Joyce Stine, of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, is not new to Duryea Days.   In fact, 'twas featured in the 2004 Story here on our website  —  and honored again as the "Best Modified" Winner at Duryea Day 2005.   •••   Just in case you miss the Stines on the teeterboard once, it's ok.   Joyce always says,  "Let's do it again John."  —  at least a half-a-dozen or more times, every year at the Show.  

(right)   This year is the 50th anniversary of John's purchase of this hotrod hauler.   He was but 16 when he bought the vehicle in 1957.   It has a 310 cubic-inch flathead Mercury V-8 "stroker" motor, and is topped off with three 2-barrel Stromberg carburetors.

You may have assessed that this teeterboard feat is not too diphakult  —  as all four of those we showed you here, were successful at it.   Well think again.   We were just being pictorially kind.   Many can't do it at all  —  even with multiple tries.

(left)   Dave Plank, of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, has been the official announcer (and chief cheerleader) at our Car Games for more years than we can count now.   He is one of many of the members of the Pottstown Region of the AACA that help out at Duryea Day each year, and we appreciate him  —  and them.   We were chatting with Dave after the board had been folded up and tucked into bed for the evening.   "What's this Mr. Plank ?"

"This is a 1910 standard tire made by the United States Tire Company.   You'll notice:  it has no tread.   That's not because it had worn off.   This is a nearly new tire  —  but it's a standard tire.   Back in those days, if you wanted a tire with tread on it, you had to ask for a deluxe tire."   •••   Hmm.   Slicks available  —  even before dragsters were!

Trackless Train     Barrels of Fun

The Trackless Train is always barrels of fun. The kiddies chust luvit.

This year's sponsor of the Trackless Train was attorney, Thomas D. Leidy.

Hay Deere     Hey!   Ride

   Hey there.   Is it OK to go on a hayride  —  even if it's not October ?   Sure.   C'mon.





Pikeville Equipment was the gracious provider of our free hayrides at Duryea Day this year.   Pikeville Equipment, which uses an Oley PA address, went into business in 1936.   Although they handle many other brands, their best known is John Deere.   In fact, here (at right) is the very first Deere tractor they sold in 1937  —  sent to Boyertown Community Park today to pull our haywagon.   It's a Model "B", serial number 41971.

Flea Market     goodies, goodies & mower

   The question is:   What does one find in a flea market ?    The answer is: 

Car parts.

Model cars.

Model cars.

Car signs.

Rear gears.

Wagons.

Crafts.

Trains.

Pickles.

Jelly.

Mustard.

What did we miss ?

Raggedy Ann.

Miscellaneous stuff.

Tunes Time     Two Bands

   Two tune-ticklers were on tap to entertain the troops at Duryea Day #42 on Saturday, September 1, 2007, under the towering oaks in beautiful Boyertown Community Park, with some pretty spectacular weather for the gathered car lovers.

At right is Special Delivery.   Left to right:

• Mike Santoro of Downingtown, guitar & banjo
• Ron Bitler of Reading, bass
• Ken Meyle of Pomeroy, mandolin
• Michael Salsburg of Malvern, violin

At left is the Joe Soltysik Band.   Left to right, Ralph Tobias of Reading, guitar & vocals Warren Boyer of Reading, bass Guy Keenan of Pleasantville, vocals & trumpet Joe Soltysik of Sinking Spring, keyboard & vocals Gene Bujnovsky of Reading, guitar Tony Maniaci of Reading, drums

Big on Bikes     leg-powered transportation

   There's a child in each one of us.   And the trick in life is to massage maturity into one's mind, without losing the child's-heart.   Bob Swaim, of Coopersburg, has got it nailed.   And you can see it, not only in his chuckley countenance, but also in the vehicular collection that he has amassed.

Technically, the word "bicycle" means:  two (bi) wheels (cycle).   However, sometimes we apply a broader definition, to wit:  any leg-powered wheeled vehicle.

Walk into the midst of the couple dozen that Bob brought to Duryea Day 2007, and you'll think most of them are fairly normal machines.   But surprised be you will at some of them.   Like the wobble-wheel.   There's something just-not-left about the handlebars.   They're just-not-right.   •••   But there are others that you will be familiar with:  the tandem;  the recumbent;  the miniature;  the "Opie-bike"  —  a 1950's Schwinn.   And there are tricycles.   Some standard.   Some not so.   Like the Loveseat.

And then there's the high-wheeler  —  sometimes called the penny-farthing bicycle.   Why ?   The term originated in England  —  around 1870, when the high-wheeler was invented, during Vicki's reign  —  and was borne of the idea that the vehicle's wheels looked like a British penny (about the size of an American half-dollar), placed next to a British farthing (about the size of an American penny).   Actually, the wheel-size differential on a high-wheeler bicycle is far greater than the relative difference between the two coins.   Customarily, the ratio of the larger wheel to the smaller was approximately 3½ to 1.   But the penny-farthing term expressed the picture sufficiently  —  as in the photo at right.

Mr. Swaim makes it look easy.   But he's had a lot of practice.   In truth, the invention of the high-wheeler was a pretty bad tentative solution to an essential problem  —  how to get greater speed from each pedal stroke.   Though making the pedaled wheel larger did achieve it, there were a number of (at least three) undesirable costs  —  the major of which was almost certain loss of flesh & blood.   These things were/are unbelievably dangerous.   The other drawbacks were that they cost the average worker six month's pay;  and the market for them was cut in half by the fact that they were impossible to ride wearing a skirt  —  which, in 1880, all the fairer did  —  24/seven.

Of course, the sane solution was:  sprockets and chain, driving the rear wheel  —  which circa 1890  —  in concert with a number of other safety and comfort improvements, became known as the safety bicycle  —  the basic design of which endures up through this day.

But what about the other complaint:  "What if I want to cart a few passengers ?"   Voila!   I give you:  the Conference Bike.   One pilot.   Six passengers.   Happy ?   •••   Nathaniel, Tori, and Zachery Weisel of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, enjoyed it  —  and took along three additional friends.

This vehicle is not a two-wheeler.   It is fundamentally a tricycle design, but with its rear (non-steer) wheel doubled  —  primarily for tire weight distribution equalization.   But also, having four wheels makes the steering task (accomplished by the two wide-track front wheels) somewhat easier;  plus more stable.

The Conference Bike, originally a 7-passenger-plus-driver vehicle, was invented in 1991 by Eric & Deborah Staller and Tim Mills  —  all of New York City.   Since it has met with world-wide success  —  both smilefully and commercially  —  the Stallers have moved to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the oft-called biking capital of the world.   •••   If you'd like one of these guaranteed smile-machines, they are available stateside through Hammacher Schlemmer for a mere $19,650  —  including shipping.   The curb weight is 180 kilograms (about 396¾ pounds).

Footnote:  bikes

Yes.   Bob brought his monocycle too.   A curious-looking device.   And even curiouser to ride.   Balance be a major problem.   Along with not crashing more than thrice per hour.

The terms monowheel and monocycle are synonomous  —  with the latter tending to be the more preferred nowadays.   However.   The term "unicycle" is customarily not used to designate the same thing  —  although monocycle and unicycle are occasionally used interchangeably  —  albeit inappropriately.   The conventional distinctions are that you sit above the unicycle, while riding it  —  whereas you sit inside the monocycle.   •••   True:  both "uni" and "mono" mean "one"  —  but the aforementioned delineations are the generally accepted vernacular.

Mr. Swaim's monocycle is more massive than most of the European and Chinese models, which bear a good deal of resemblance to this one (at right) based on an 1873 design.

The monocycle  —  originally called a "monowheel"  —  dates back to 1869, when patent applications popped up from various regions across the planet, including Missouri, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and possibly Minnesota, here in the U.S.   But two of particular note were the Rousseau monowheel, and the Jackson monowheel  —  both in France (and shown at left).

In 1904, the first motorized monowheel appeared.   In the April 1914 issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine, an illustration of one which was propeller-driven was featured on the cover.   By the 1920's, you'd even occasionally see the motorized varieties at the circus (as at right).

Among the more visible developers of recent monocycles is Kerry McLean, of Walled Lake, Michigan.   He built his first one as a teenager, back in 1970, and has been crafting improvements ever since.   But he was not terribly interested in the leg-powered variety.   Speed was his penchant.   Here (at left) is his 1971 model, with a somewhat conservative powerplant.

By the '90's, he had graduated to an aluminum block Buick V8 with dual quads (photo right).   In the go department, 'twas not at all lacking  —  but in stability:  sorely deficient.   He crashed.

The 2004 model is more aerodynamic  —  as you can see with its stabilizing fin and rudders (in the photo at left).   In recent years, Kerry's been getting assistance from China's Panda Precision to help make his Rocket Roadster monocycle engine scream.

You say you'd like one ?   Well.   If you can make do with less than the hundreds of Buick horses, then scrape up about 10k US dollars, and have at it.   Though it's only a 5-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine (shown at right), you will find that it has far more zip than you can handle at first.

The bicycle is a relatively new mode of transportation  —  only about 200 years old.   For more information on its inception in our society, and subsequent developments, click here.

Burger Break     people  ...  some feedin'  ...  sum knot

   The bikes & kars were kool.   But walkin' burns kalories.   Time to refuel.   Burgers & fries sounds good.  

Burgers or dogs ?

Fries or kettlecorn ?

Shrimp roll ?

Cow juice ?

Park thyself ?

Not inta cars ?

Let's try this.

Rumble seat.

Complete crew.

Two-time with Dad.

Toonerville Trolley     visiting our Museum

   The Toonerville Trolley was on tap again this year to take the tiny trip to our Museum  —  just ¾ of a mile north-northwest of where Duryea Day takes place, in the beautiful oak-canopied Boyertown Community Park.

As you may know, Paul and Erminie Hafer, the architects of Duryea Day  —  which was begun on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, in 1966  —  are also the founders of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, which opened in December of 1965.   And, as a bonus to your outing to the Duryea Day festivities, here's an opportunity to visit the Museum too.   •••   C'mon.   I'll take you on a little tour.

The buildings (pictured at right) which currently house our Museum, got their start back in 1872  —  an era of history now referred to as the horse-and-buggy days.   The gentleman who started it all was Jeremiah Sweinhart.   For the next 118 years, these facilities were about manufacturing, first carriages, and then  —  since 1914  —  truck, bus, and other specialty bodies for the motorization of America.

At the peak of production, in the mid-1960's, the Boyertown Auto Body Works was operating out of 15 different buildings here in town, and had more than 500 on the payroll.   When the Museum opened in December of 1965, it was in one of the company's smaller structures on Warwick Street  —  two blocks south of the current location.   But we have been in the "big building" now, since 2001.

Pictured at left is the Museum lobby  —  books, magazines, two gift shops, a number of unusual vehicles, and a great old player piano.   Just behind it is our meeting room, and banquet room  —  both available for civic, scholastic, and other groups  —  including birthday parties.

In the photograph at right, one of our Duryea Day Museum visitors checks out the circa 1940 wheelable soda-acid fire extinguisher.   If you mouse-over it, you will get an up-close look at the hand-drawn hose cart from the same era, which we also had nearby.

Edna Dierolf (on the right in the photograph at left) had been the Museum's lead docent for twenty years  —  as well as Erminie Hafer's left-hand-lady up until 2004.   Though she has officially retired, Edna still returns to us to help out on special occasions  —  like Duryea Day.

We were fortunate to have about a dozen volunteers from the local United States Navy Sea Cadet Corps helping out with the 42nd Annual Duryea Day  —  both at the Park, and here at the Museum.   In the photo at right, they are, from left:  Alandra Cook, 13, and Jesse Cook, 14, both of Boyertown;  and Emily Ayala, 16, and Ashley Barbosa, 11, both of Reading.

In the background of the picture is a horse-drawn hearse, with Waterford Crystal carved glass, built circa 1886 in Lancashire, England, and similar to those used in the proceedings here in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, after the Rhoads Opera House Fire, which killed 170 of the 312 persons inside when it started on Monday evening, January 13, 1908.   •••   Mouse-over photo above/right for enlargement.

The USN Sea Cadet Corps is a naval youth education program for Americans ages 11-17 years old, who want to learn new skills and gain confidence while having fun aboard Navy and Coast Guard ships, and at air stations.   Begun in 1958, they currently have 10 units in Pennsylvania, including one each in Allentown, Reading, and Harrisburg;  and two in Philadelphia.

This is Jon Levan of Pottstown  —  another one of our cherished Duryea Day volunteers, helping out today in the Museum lobby.

In the photograph at right, Darlene Brunner, our Museum Receptionist (on left) gets some assistance from her granddaughters, Cyrenna Brunner, 10, of Fleetwood (in red, on right), and Tyra Moyer, 10, of New Berlinville (in the middle, wearing a Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles T-shirt).

Volunteer Audrey Storm of Barto, Pennsylvania, and Darlene Brunner, of New Berlinville, are busily attending to their tasks in the lobby of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles on Saturday, September 1st, 2007  —  the 42nd Annual Duryea Day.

Visitors in the Museum's Main Gallery (pictured at right) see 97 vehicles on display  —  including electric, steam, and gasoline-powered cars, trucks, and vans.   We even have a 1948 Chrysler Windsor Town & Country 4-door sedan, with the exquisite mahogany exterior paneling, trimmed with Canadian White Ash  —  which is a beautiful hardwood, in the same family as the olive tree.   The reason that this is such a special vehicle for us, is that our Museum founder, Paul Hafer, is the draftsman who designed and named the Town & Country for Chrysler in 1939.

What makes are here ?   All the ones you'd expect, plus many of those that were manufactured only here in southeastern Pennsylvania:  Boss, Chadwick, Acme, Fleetwood, Middleby, SGV, Dile, Daniels  —  and, of course  —  Duryea.

There are also horse-drawn carriages, wagons and even sleighs  —  plus safety bicycles, high-wheelers, and motorcycles  —  and various collections of tools, including the complete toolbox of Sidney Atterby, who was a body builder for the Daniels Motor Car Company, which manufactured automobiles in Reading, Pennsylvania, from 1915 to 1923  —  and at their peak, had 160 employees.

   Board member, and vanguard volunteer at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, Ed Miller (wearing hat) gives board member, and this year's Duryea Day blacksmith on site at the Museum, Bob Norquest, some details about the 1913 Blacksmith Shop picture which now hangs in the 135-year-old Jeremiah Sweinhart Carriage Factory.   •••   When the photograph was taken  —  94 years ago  —  the carriage factory structure was the blacksmith shop in the company then owned by Milton Derr, Morris Gilbert, and John Landis;  and doing business as the Boyertown Carriage Works.

Currently the Sweinhart Carriage Factory building is in the process of restoration, so that we can include it as part of the Museum experience for visitors.   And, as a preview of what you will see going on in there, Boyertown blacksmith Bob Norquest set up forge in our patio vestibule on Duryea Day, Saturday, September 1, 2007.   •••   The first order of bizness in a blacksmith shop is to get the fire going  —  which is what Mr. Norquest is now doing (in the photo at right).

Second of all, ya knead tools.   Jack Stuber of Exeter Township (in hat) asks Gary Lewis of Hummelstown,
"Do you know what this is ?"

Gary asks Bob.
Bob says he doesn't know.
Gary laughs.

Mr. Lewis turns to our photographer.
"Do you know what it is ?"


Our photog pretends to be mute.


There are essentially four tools that every blacksmith must have.   There are many others that can be useful  —  but, being a blacksmith  —  you can pretty well fashion anything else that you'd like to accessorize yourself with.   The first four are:

1. The Forge is the fireplace of a blacksmith's shop.   It provides the means to keep the fire contained and controlled.  
   
   
2. Tongs are used to hold the hot metal.   They come in a range of shapes and sizes.
   
   
3. The Anvil, at its simplest, is a large block of iron or steel.   Besides the flat top face, which is the main hammering surface, the other three common features of the anvil are:
   
   
   
   1. The horn  —  the cone-shaped nose, which is used for making bends and curves, and for drawing.
   2. The heel's (square) hardy-hole, which is used to hold the shanks of various smaller tools used to cut and shape metal.
   3. The heel's (round) pritchel-hole, which is used for punching holes through the hot metal.
   
   
4. Blacksmiths' Hammers customarily have one face and a peen.   The peen is typically either a ball or a blunt wedge.

While a great deal of work is done with these four basic tools, blacksmiths tend also to accumulate various vises, swage blocks, fullers, punches, chisels, cutting plates, headers, bickerns, forks, saddles, holddowns, and mandrels.   •••   Need I add ?:   In any shop-environment, you will do well to always wear a good pair of safety glasses (with side shields);  a leather apron;  leather or canvas work gloves;  and hearing protection.   Also, whenever working with fire or hot materials, wear only 100% cotton clothing.   Most synthetics are flammable, and melt  —  adhering to the skin as they burn.   You'd not be a happy camper!

Ok.   It's time to catch the trolley back to the Park.   The plaque placed outside our Museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1994 reads: 

Jeremiah Sweinhart and Successors
"The evolution of the business located here mirrors America's changing transportation scene.   In the factory begun by Mr. Sweinhart in 1872, horse-drawn carriages, farm and delivery vehicles, and sleighs were built.   After 1914, bus and truck bodies, and other commercial and military vehicles, were made here.   Production ceased, 1990, but the original 1872 shop became part of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles."

Trophy Time     Show Winners

   All 2007 show vehicle owners received the 42nd Annual Duryea Day dash plaque, along with a nifty little commemorative pocket-sized 10-tool gizmo  —  both of which are pictured at right.   But there were a few special winners too.

Award   -   Best Antique Car

(at left)  Winners:  Bob & Carol Robinson, of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, with a 1922 Marmon Model 34B.   •••   Left to right:  Frank Kemp, President of the Pottstown Region, AACA;  Carol & Bob Robinson;  and Ken Wells, Executive Director of the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, which has sponsored and produced Duryea Day every year, starting in 1966.

Award   -   Best Antique Truck

(at right)  Winner:  Derald Hay, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, with a 1937 Diamond T.   •••   Left to right:  Frank Kemp, Derald Hay, and Ken Wells.

Award   -   Best Modified

(at left)  Winner:  Bob Wensel, of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, with a 1932 Ford Roadster.   •••   Left to right:  Frank Kemp, Geri & Bob Wensel, and Ken Wells.

Award   -   Best Motorcycle

(at right)  Winner:  Barry Algeo, of Royersford, Pennsylvania, with a 1930 Harley-Davidson.   •••   Left to right:  Frank Kemp, Barry Algeo, and Ken Wells.



This year's awards sponsor was
Raybestos Brakes.
The Duryea Day 2007 winner of the Pedal Car (1939 Jalopy Pickup Truck, shown at right) that we raffled off, was Bruce Weihing of Frederick, Pennsylvania.   •••   The 42nd Annual Duryea Day also had a 50/50 drawing again this year, and Boyertown's Meghan Weller happily won the cash.

We certainly hope you enjoyed this year's show.   It was a goody.   Great show vehicles, excellent flea market, and spectacular weather.   I had a good time, and suspect you did too.   •••   Next year, the 43rd Annual Duryea Day will be held, same time (9:00 to 4:00), same place (Boyertown Community Park), on Saturday, August 30th, 2008.   We'll look for you then.

Thank You     to you & many others

   Thank you to all who attended, presented, supplied, or helped in any way to make Duryea Day 2007 a great success.   It would be impossible to name all the Museum volunteers who assisted in a zillion ways  —  we are grateful for your time & your toil.

•  staff the headquarters tent  •  give out information  •  lay out show car fields  •  lay out flea market area  •  register show vehicles  •  register car corral vehicles  •  register flea market vendors  •  staff the admissions gates  •  assist in parking show vehicles  •  manage visitor parking (Kiwanis)  •  staff the Museum lobby  •  act as docents in the Museum  •  do pre-event publicity  •  do other pre-event work  •  take care of merchandise sales  •  sell tickets (raffle, 50/50, etc.)  •  assist in physical set-up and teardown at park  •  maintain park property  •

We especially acknowledge our partner of many years, the Pottstown Region AACA.   It is their members whose experience, and energy, and smiling faces make the car show, the flea market, the car corral, and many other aspects of Duryea Day, a memorable event.   So thanks, Pottstown Region, for a great job again in 2007. We would also like to thank our prime sponsor for this 42nd Annual Duryea Day:  National Penn Bank and National Penn Investors Trust Company  —  along with our other general sponsors, Cabot Supermetals, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, Yellow Book, Erb & Henry Equipment;  and our awards sponsor, Raybestos Brakes;  and Trackless Train sponsor, Thomas D. Leidy.   Additional thanks goes to Donald Angstadt, of Pikeville Equipment, for the hayrides;  and Twin Ponds Golf Course, for providing utility vehicles.