2009 Tour  - "The Catoctin Caper" 

An Afternoon's Driving Adventure!

By Jon Battle

Sunny skies and fair weather greeted old car enthusiasts as the 20^th annual Orphan Car Tour took to the road on Saturday, June 6 inThurmont, Maryland.   Forty-two cars traveled a 54-mile route over mostly-rural roads to the day’s destination inChambersburg,Pa.  

The Tour – nicknamed the “Catoctin Caper” for the area in which it got underway this year -- was teamed this year with the Chesapeake Region AACA’s Spring Overnight Tour to form a two-day excursion.  The Orphan Tour comprised the first day of the combined event, and the Spring Overnight Tour continued on Sunday with a 64-mile run from Chambersburg to the William E. Swigart, Jr. Automobile Museum inHuntingdon, Pa.  Participants had their choice of taking either or both tours. Because of the AACA tie-in this year, non-“orphan” cars were welcome to participate in the Orphan Tour.  (Normally it’s limited to “orphans”: automobiles built either by defunct car companies or by the discontinued divisions of still-existing car companies.)

Although the area had been rainy for the previous two days, with temperatures in the 50’s, the weather improved greatly on Saturday morning.  It was in the mid-seventies and the sun was peeking out from between the clouds, shortly after the first car pulled out of the Cozy Restaurant parking lot in Thurmont at 11:30 A.M.  As in past years, each driver was given printed instructions and drove at his or her own pace.  Interspersed among the directions were questions designed to test the participants’ observational abilities regarding sights glimpsed along the route, with the promise of fame and adulation awaiting those who could answer the most questions correctly!

This year no less than nine sightseeing opportunities lay along the 54-mile route – a new record for the Orphan Tour.  These included “The Devil’s Racecourse”, a natural phenomenon;  historic Fort Ritchie, where a keepsake photo was made of each car;  Pen Mar Park, with its astonishing vista of 2000 square miles; Renfrew Museum and Park, a historic farmstead;  Select Vehicles, a company with 20-30 antique and special interest cars for sale;  the Waynesboro Model Railroad Club, a series of indoor model train layouts occupying two floors of an old mill; the Twin Kiss ice cream shop;  “Older Car Restoration”, an antique car restoration facility;  the Fayetteville Antique Mall.The driving tour concluded at the Family Traditions Lighthouse Restaurant inChambersburg, at 5:00 P.M., at which time 74 Orphan Tourists filed into a special banquet room for a buffet meal. 

After dinner, participants graded each others’ answer sheets to determine winners of the “most observant” contest.  As the correct answers were read out, Tom Kenney -- one of the Tour organizers – did a Power Point projection showing photos of each roadside “clue”.  First Place was won by Phyllis Cherry and her team, driving a ’60 Metropolitan convertible.  Second Place went to Buster Zimmerman and his team, in a ’58 Metropolitan. (Competition and “Mets” run in the family; Zimmerman and Cherry are father and daughter!)  Third Place was won by Mel and Lee Clow (’54 Packard convertible).  Honorable Mention went to Jerry and Holly Kurtz (’55 Studebaker Speedster).  Competition was stiff, with the first three winners having only one, two and three “wrong” answers, respectively, out of 56 questions!  Third Place had actually proven a tie, requiring a total of three tie-breaker questions in a row, to finalize!

The gigantic “Over Yonder” trophy, given to the person who drives an antique car the longest distance, was presented by Jon Battle to Robert and Carol Carlish, who drove their 1976 Bricklin approximately 300 miles from Danville, Va.  This is a record distance for any “Over Yonder” winner in the three years in which it has been presented by “Jewells”, a Packard Club member who donates it in the name of his fellowWilliamsport, Md. townspeople and car enthusiasts. “Oldest Car” award went to Bill and Josie O’Donnell, who drove a beautiful ’36 Ford roadster.  “Hard Luck Award” went to Harley Smith, who trailered his ’70 AMX to the tour due to a suspected electrical problem.  (Fortunately neither his car, nor anyone else’s, malfunctioned during the day.)  A number of door prizes were given out, which included not only merchandise, but gift certificates from the Cozy and the Family Traditions Lighthouse restaurants.  The evening ended on a sweet note, as a large group caravanned to the nearby crossroads of Falling Spring where, by special arrangement, the Windy Knoll Farm Market & Creamery threw open its doors to the car folks.  There, delighted Orphan Tourists enjoyed frozen homemade dairy concoctions of many varieties and flavors before adjourning for the evening.

On Sunday ten cars – most of which had been driven on the Saturday tour – assembled at the Day’s Inn inChambersburg, where many of the first day’s participants stayed.  From there, they embarked onto the second day’s tour, caravanning to the Swigart Museum in Huntingdon.  This was the “Chesapeake Region AACA” portion of the weekend.  The leisurely drive was simpler and more relaxing than Saturday’s, having but one intermediate stop, and no contest of any sort.   After touring the museum, 19 members of the group drove to a nearby Hoss’ restaurant for a hearty lunch together.  Then, a number of the travelers convoyed south to an ice cream shop inFt. Loudon, after which they went their separate ways.

This year’s crop of tour cars was wildly varied, to say the least.  Including “staff cars”, there were ten Packards, five Studebakers, fiveAMC’s (including two Metropolitans and two AMX’s), four DeLoreans, three DeSotos, three Hudsons, two Bricklins, two Nashes (including a Nash Healey), two Oldsmobiles, and a Cadillac, Corvair, T-Bird, Mustang, Plymouth, Austin Cooper, Ford, late-model Buick Roadmaster -- and nearly-new Toyota Solara!  Breakdown by decade was as follows:  1930’s -- three;  1940’s -- four;  1950’s -- 21;  1960’s -- six;  1970’s -- five;  1980’s -- four; 1990’s and 2000’s -- two.

The Orphan Car Tour takes place annually in different locations in the greater Baltimore-Washington area. The purpose of the Tour is to encourage the driving enjoyment of antique “orphan” cars.   It is sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Packards, the Potomac Chapter of the Studebaker Driver’s Club, the Potomac Ramblers Chapter of theAMC / Rambler Club, the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club, and the Desoto Owners Club of Maryland.  Those working on this year’s tour included Tom and Anne Kenney (of the Chesapeake Region AACA), who coordinated both tours, and Rich and Debbie Miller, conducting Saturday’s “photo shoot” as they have for many years. (The Millers were presented with a plaque during the Saturday evening get-together, for their ten years of service to the Tour.)  Harley Smith (of the Potomac Ramblers) served as this year’s treasurer.  Susan and Bill Johnson (of Mid-Atlantic Packards) and Jon Battle (of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter, H-E-T Club) filled in with various jobs during the day.  The basic route for this year’s tour was created by Don Reedy ofHagerstown,MD.   END.

Link to 2009 Tour Photo's

Thank you for your interest in the Orphan Car Tour!