Car lovers meet in Oley for annual Corvette club show

Jul. 16—When Gary Kauffman first laid eyes on his 1959 Corvette, he didn't know quite what he was getting.

The car had been driven only once in the 35 years it was stashed in a garage, and it needed a ton of work.

But having since replaced parts ranging from the seats to the speedometer and giving it fresh coats of black and silver paint, Kauffman has it back to being a Chevrolet "icon," as he described it.

And on Saturday he drove it from his home in York County to the Oley Fire Company Fairgrounds for the 42nd annual In-Vette-Tational held by the Reading Skyline Drive Corvette Club.

Kauffman's car was one of more than 300 on display for the public and judged for more than 53 trophies, and his passion was typical of the owners who participated.

Kauffman said he couldn't even count how many hours he put into restoring his Corvette. He said it remains a work in progress, but he spoke of how he enjoys that time immensely.

"It's a labor of love," he said.

While many of the cars entered were Corvettes, as the event's name implies, there was also a wide range of other vehicles ranging from old to new models for visitors to see and vote for.

"It's cool that there are a lot of cars from different eras, from antiques to modern, and people have put a lot of effort and manual labor into them," said Bob Messner, event chairman.

Those vehicles included the 1932 Studebaker formerly owned by Bob's father, Fred Messner, whose family donated it to the Antique Automobile Club of America's museum in Hershey after Fred passed away.

The museum brought the car to the show for the day, and it was a popular stop for visitors because it has been so immaculately restored and is so rare.

It was emotional for Bob to talk about how proud his father would be to see his beloved Studebaker on display.

"He had no idea it would even be in a museum," Bob said.

But while the classic vehicles were the main attraction Saturday, the event is much more than a car show, as it raises money for several local causes and brings the community together for a good time each year, Messner said.

For example, the show each year awards $1,000 scholarships to three automotive mechanic or auto body students from Berks County. This year's recipients were Brenda Bravo of Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center, Dominic DiLello of Berks Career and Technology Center East, and Anthony Pasquale of Berks Career and Technology Center West.

For being chosen, each got to design their own car show trophy and award it to their favorite vehicle.

John Anaya of Ephrata came to the show with the 1971 Chevy Nova he bought 10 years ago and restored because it reminded him of a similar car he had as a younger man.

"That was the last muscle car I had before children," he said.

Anaya is now a grandfather, and he brought along his grandson Joshua Lawrence, 11, who is already helping with restorations.

"Cars have always been a special part of my life," Lawrence said, and he therefore appreciated coming to the show.

"It's awesome," he said. "No matter what make, model or year the car is, I don't even care. They're all interesting."