CCCA Museum plans for 'Senior Moment'

Jeffrey and Karen Ozan’s CCCA Senior-award-winning 1929
Cadillac 341B convertible coupe will be one of many “best of the
best” Senior cars at the CCCA Experience June 5-7.

There’ll be a “Senior Moment” at the CCCA Museum in June — and that’s a good thing! The big event, June 5-7 at the CCCA Museum in Hickory Corners, Mich., is the annual “Experience.” The 2009 theme to the annual event is the “Senior Car Experience,” which will recognize all Classic Car Club of America Senior cars.

Currently, there are more than 2,900 Senior Cars in the club — each one identified by a number on an oval plaque affixed to the car. That plaque states that the car is a First Prize Primary winner in CCCA national competition and is now being judged in the Senior or Premier division.

For Sunday’s Grand Experience, Classics will be arranged by number, from the lowest Senior Car number to the highest. Class 1 will contain Senior Cars from 1-300, Class 2 will contain Senior Cars from 301-600, and so on up to the most recent Senior cars (2701-3000).

Full Classics that have not achieved Senior Car status are also eligible for display on Sunday; these cars will be displayed according to prescribed CCCA rules. There will be five classes for the non-Senior cars.

The CCCA Museum will also be celebrating its 25th anniversary. The Gilmore Car Museum recently announced a Franklin Museum will be built on the museum campus, and the Lincoln Motor Car Foundation has chosen the Gilmore Car Museum site as the home of the new Lincoln Motorcar Museum.

“If you’ve not visited the CCCA Museum and Library recently, this is the year to do so,” said Walter Blenko, CCCA Museum president. “There is really nothing else like it in the world, and this is the only museum devoted solely to Classic automobiles.”

In addition to all of the Classics on display that weekend, attendees can visit the CCCA Museum, the Gilmore Car Museum, the Pierce-Arrow Museum and the Tucker Archives. The CCCA Library is also available by appointment. The CCCA Museum contains not only a great collection of Classic automobiles, but a world-class radiator mascot collection.

Before the Classics roll on the grass for the Sunday Grand Experience, there will be a “get acquainted” barbecue Friday evening on the museum grounds. On Saturday, there will be a driving tour and lunch, as well as an automotive flea market, car corral and automotive art show. The art show will be held throughout the weekend and will include an introduction to automotive art by artist Tom Hale.

On Saturday evening, the event will include a dinner at the Radisson Plaza in Kalamazoo, preceded by cocktails, a silent auction and live art auction.

Sunday events, in addition to the Classic automobiles on display, will include a fashion demonstration, junior judging and the conclusion of the silent auction. The narrated awards-drive-by will take place that afternoon, followed by a farewell supper hosted by Bill and Barbara Parfet.

The honorary chairman of the 2009 Grand Experience is Mark Hyman of Hyman Ltd.

For more information, go to www.cccamuseum.org, or call 313-563-0621.