Lower gasoline prices and perfect weather Sunday helped the Twin Tiers Vintage Car Club rebound from an off year in 2008 and enjoy its biggest annual Fun Meet yet.More than 360 cars of all makes, models and eras were on display Sunday at the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Big Flats. The cars and their owners weren't there to be judged, just for the viewing pleasure of car buffs who came out in droves to see automobiles dating back to the early 1900s. "This is the first time I've been to this show. It's very nice," said Mark Manfredi of Gaines, Pa. "I used to go to a lot of shows because I had (vintage) cars. I got out of it for a while. Now I'm back to doing it. I didn't know there was this much here or that it went back that far. It's real nice." Monty Hine of Newfield, who owns a 1931 Ford Model A, goes to lots of car shows and said he likes this one because there is no competition involved. "We go to a bunch of shows all over the place - Norwich, Owego," Hine said. "This is a fun show. It's not judged. It seems to get bigger every year." Sunday's show was in fact easily the biggest yet, said Bob Lord, a past president of the Twin Tiers Vintage Car Club. Last year's show was affected by gas prices that averaged around $4.20 a gallon in the Southern Tier, compared to this year when the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded is near $2.70 in the area. Fewer than 300 cars took part in the 2008 show. Lord, who served as the public address announcer during Sunday's show, said organizers couldn't be happier with the turnout. "We had over 360 cars. That's our most ever. We were hoping for 300," he said. "We're most pleased. When you give your $3 donation, you get to go to the Wings of Eagles. Some of their funding is based on head count. So it helps them, and it helps us."Source :http://www.stargazette.com/article/20090615/NEWS01/906150347
