EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

Boy did I stumble on a great deal when I went to the annual car show in Green Lake, Wis., a couple of weeks ago. The car show was tied in with a community festival and the local library decided to take advantage of the big crowd that was in town to hold a sale of its old books and magazines. Included in the publications being sold were copies of LIFE Magazine from 1936 and 1937, which were priced at 2 for $5. I bought all of them that were available and I've been having a great time reading them and looking at the old car ads. One issue includes an article about European cars of that era. Another has a humorous photo layout about the proper way for a lady wearing a skirt to get into a coffin-nose Cord. In another, there is a story about Nazis with a street scene and a dorsal-finned Tatra is one of two cars parked at the curb. How modern it looks compared to the other car, a boxy 1930s model. One ad shows the Chrysler convertible sedan that was the first car to cross the Golden Gate Bridge on the day it opened. Another article shows a shot of an Archduke's famous Mercedes-Benz.

Thre is a lesson in this great find. When you attend a car show that's part of a community function, be sure to check out all the attractions. You just might wind up finding some great things you never expected to run into.