Hudson Champlain Porsche Club Visits the Northeast Classic Car Museum
The Drive
The trip to the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich, NY was worth the beautiful, snowy drive. Yes, it was snowing as we drove over the back roads to Norwich!
Once there, we parked our cars and rushed into the museum to escape the cold and wet wind. We were immediately warmed not only by the warmth of the lobby but by the gracious greeting by the museum staff. Tickets were purchased as club members chatted and we all waited expectantly for our tour guide. And what a tour it was.
Stepping Into the Past
As we stepped through the entrance to the exhibits, it was like being transported back in time. Bob Jeffrey, the executive director of the museum, first shared a little history of the area, which he describes as thriving until the 1990s when two companies left the area leaving 5,600 people jobless. After sharing some interesting stories about the conceptualization and initial planning of the museum, he turned us over to Richard Schutt who would be our guide. And what a tour it was!
If you have never been to the museum, it is definitely worth the drive. The museum holds more than 150 vehicles within over 89,000 square feet of floor space. There is some impressive information about the museum and its content at Exploring Upstate New York if you’d like to see some great photos and more detail on the vehicles. It’s impossible to do a quick recap of the cars, motorcycles, trucks, airplane propellers and more, so I will leave it to you to check out the website, or better yet, take a drive out.
Throughout the exhibits, we were also treated to dress of the eras courtesy of the Chenango County Historical Society. Each outfit is representative of the period of the cars in an exhibit. We smiled at the whole kit and kaboodle of fashion including driving coats, goggles, wedding dresses and fancy cocktail dresses.
Lunch and Conversation
A few of us hungrier members snuck out of the museum a few minutes early to meet at the Wild Owl Café for lunch, while the rest of the members joined us soon afterward. The meal was delicious and, as usual, the conversation lively. All in all, it was a great time.
There was so much information about the founders, the cars, the restorations, and more that I would leave it up to you to take a trip there!
A huge thank you to Lou Dahoda for planning the event!
