Hershey traditions

[Clem Clement]

Hershey traditions

After another wonderful Hershey experience , I got to thinking about Hershey traditions. I have only been going for about 30 years and still feel new to it all. I note things are changing. I wanted to capture traditions of others. What are yours??

Hershey traditions:

• People. Hershey friends: see you in the “fall at Hershey”

• Hershey mud. Now a gone phenom. We all thought that brown stuff came from the bottom of the chocolate factory

3. The White field and all its traditions. I liked it better when the rows went lengthwise. The airplanes were gone by my time.

• The blue field. I only got in that once. We had my 2 year along and when Mom got him back to the car she told him to take his shows off: Mom they are back there in the mud…

• The wonderful portable showers behind the green field. They were only one year. We also found that we could go early to the golf clubhouse and get a hot shower before 6am for a couple of bux. Gone now

• The wonderful music under the Red Ball. Continuous from 1972 to 2014. I hope it returns next year.

7. The air force planes over head. C-130 for years and now Hogs. After 9/11 a C-130 came over as safe altitude and waved it wings for us all. Everyone was a screaming and crying. We still have our Hershey.

• Special places our groups eat: Dukes, Penn hotel, etc.

9. The special finds we made: where and when

10. Camping in the fields on Hershey: either in the camp ground or your vehicle.

11. Night live on the grounds: walking thru the car corral; and the various gatherings in trailers and spaces.

12. Obviously the Saturday car show and all its trappings

What others do we cherish???

[mhsprecher]

I do not cherish the memory of the old calliope, for anyone who remembers that. I liked it when the show was held in the stadium. A long time ago. I will post pics from 1966 and maybe bring them to the CDC tomorrow morning. If I remember.

[woodiewagon46]

Been going since 1968. Yes, I remember when the event was held in the stadium. I do remember the Calliope. How about the message board, cell phones made that obsolete. The race car condition run every friday at 11:00 AM, is a must see every year. I miss the planes landing and taking off from the airport. The wooden nickels are tradition also. It was a lot easier on the legs when the swap meet was all on grass, I even miss the mud! A hundred or so Model A's on the show field, now there are only a handful. I have most of the aerial pictures that they sold every year and it's interesting to compare the years.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Great thread idea. A couple small ones. Breakfast once and lunch twice at wright's in center of the Chocolate fields. The permanent stands east of the restroom building. Great people but always fun speaking with people at the picnic tables. That's really my dad's tradition.

I also like to see and get a pic of the cars the license plate guys bring in the long tents in chocolate north, different every year... Dragone's tent in green field is also required and watching show cars arrive another tradition.

We have prep traditions also. Tracking weather starting around 10 days ahead, etc.

Will be interesting to see what's on other folks lists!

[JOHN CT]

I remember walking around smelling Hershey chocolate. What ever happened to to that ? It used to put a smile on my face when looking for gold..

[ronn]

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Hershey chocolate is now outsourced in Mexico-fact.

[C26Pinelake]

I always smelled the chocolate and the roses. My friend always said to take time to smell the roses because we were able to attend one more year and many others never made it ! Wayne

[mhsprecher]

I remember the planes and the chocolate smell, too. Miss those, as well.

[Roger V]

I remember when the Blue Field was where Hershey Park is now. Could park next to the stadium. Also, the Red Field was where the outlet mall is now. Around '74-76 the river that wound through the Blue Field to the drain at the South-East corner with "Rick's" boxes of parts floating down (justice)! My truck sliding sideways down the muddy hill in the Blue Field during one of those years. Then the "rivers" going through the Yellow Field, north of the White Field. Before the Giant Arena, the Green Field was like a sponge making it difficult to walk. Before Chocolate World, you could take an actual Hershey factory tour, probably pre-1974. Again, about that time when the temperature was 20 degrees and snow flakes. Whenever, I was lucky to have spaces in the Chocolate Annex which was the only paved area (boy did that drive people to us when it rained). And so on............

[Stretch Cab]

Actually touring the chocolate factory walking on catwalks above the cooking chocolate!

[2manycars]

I remember selling a crate of apples one by one to pay for my space. I remember touring the factory and seeing the large vats of chocolate and the machine that made kisses. I remember lots of mud. I remember the calliope, and watching it as it played. I remember the really old cars with white tires inside the stadium. We used to stop at the Shartlesville hotel for family style breakfast. In later years we stayed in Ronks and ate at the best Amish restarunts. One year I took lots of pictures of radiator ornaments, but they are in black and white. I remember the rich folks landing their planes in what became the white field. I remember the club hiring a bus to take us to Hershey, and leaving at 2am, and arriving just in time to walk all day, then load our fenders, radiators, and all manor of model A parts in the luggage compartments of the bus. I remember Sherri's crab cakes. I remember walking about 20 miles a day for 3 days and then being almost unable to stand up. Memories go back to the 60's. Thanks for starting the conversation.

[woodiewagon46]

Thank you Roger V. I have told people that I have seen every thing from 90 degree weather to snowflakes and they tell me I am crazy. I'm glad someone else has seen the snowflakes, thanks.

[Clem Clement]

I remembers seeing apples for .25cents each. I assumed dealers bought them else ware. Was there a official apple stand?

[Steve_Mack_CT]

We stay in Lancaster and eat at the Lyndon diner on the first night, and Amish restaurant on the next. Used to stay up in Denver, PA and eat at the silk city before but Lancaster is closer.

Buy the program even though you know where everyone is.

How's about the non automotive stuff so outrageous it actually adds to the show. I mean the stuffed coyote or full size big boy burger mascot, or the huge eiful tower in the green field last year.

New tradition in recent years, "oh your so and so from fordbarn, aaca forum, Facebook , etc." How many times have you seen this or been in the conversation in the past few years? The new prelude to Clem's "see you in Hershey ". Change, but still the same spirit!

[Ted Duke]

Driven south by the union,
"The first plant outside Hershey, Pennsylvania, opened on June 15, 1963 in Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada, and the third opened on May 22, 1965 in Oakdale, California.[19] In February and April 2007 Hershey's announced that their Smiths Falls[20][21] and Oakdale[22][23] plants would close in 2008, being replaced in part by a new facility in Monterrey, Mexico. The Oakdale factory closed on February 1, 2008.[24] Hershey chocolate factory in São Roque, Brazil was opened in August 2002.
Hershey also has plants in Stuarts Draft, Virginia; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; Robinson, Illinois and Guadalajara, Mexico."

[Ted Duke]

I camped with my family on the edge of the runway in 1972 and my sons loved it.

[Terrence]

Originally Posted by ronn

Hershey chocolate is now outsourced in Mexico-fact.

Most of the outsourcing occurred well before the chocolate smell disappeared. It has more to do with the plant moving into a much more modern facility. I used to be able to smell it from my house on some days. I kind of miss the mud!

[2manycars]

Originally Posted by Steve_Mack_CT

How's about the non automotive stuff so outrageous it actually adds to the show. I mean the stuffed coyote or full size big boy burger mascot, or the huge eiful tower in the green field last year.

Two years ago I bought a horse collar, and wore it around my neck instead of carrying it. Several people took photos. I am going to mount a mirror in it and give it to my son and his wife for the bathroom in the office of their horse farm.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by 2manycars

Two years ago I bought a horse collar, and wore it around my neck instead of carrying it. Several people took photos. I am going to mount a mirror in it and give it to my son and his wife for the bathroom in the office of their horse farm.

I've seen mirrors (and even picture frames) like this made with a toilet seat.

[Barry B./ Ma.]

My ankles are still sore from last week, asphalt is tough on the feet.

Hmmm, pushing 80 might have something to do with it.