Museums participate in Smithsonian free day

The 12^th annual Smithsonian Magazine “Smithsonian Museum Day” is Saturday, September 24.  To celebrate, museum goers who present a “Museum Day Ticket” will be granted free admission to participating museums across the country.

The ticket is available online and can be used several participating car museums.

“The museum loves participating in this event,” said Kendra Klink, chief operating officer of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. “We hope that people in and around the area take the opportunity to tour our museum or another one of the participating institutions.”

According to Klink, by participating in Museum Day and offering free admission the museum is furthering its dedication to learning and sharing history, as well as family fun.

Participating alongside the ACD Museum in Auburn, Indiana, is the National Military History Center and Automotive & Carriage Museum, also located in Auburn.

Other automotive museums participating include:

• San Diego Automotive Museum – San Diego, California
• Gilmore Car Museum – Hickory Corners, Michigan
• National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum – Knoxville, Iowa
• Antique Automobile Club of America Museum – Hershey, Pennsylvania
• National Automobile Museum – Reno Nevada
• Seal Cove Auto Museum – Seal Cove, Maine
• America on Wheels Museum – Allentown, Pennsylvania

A full list of participating museums can be found online and museum visitors are encouraged to share photos and comments by tagging @MuseumDay  #BoundlessCuriosity  #MuseumDayLive.

Car shows (with and without coffee):

This weekend, Volvo is the featured marque at the 2016 Foreign Auto Festival hosted by the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Owls Head, Maine. The free show is the museums final car show of the season and welcomes all years of Volvo and all pre-1996 vehicles.

Saturday, the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce holds the 33rd annual Autumn Gold Car Show at the Seal Cove Auto Museum in Seal Cove, Maine. The museum is to show a 1904 Searchmont  and award the first annual Seal Cove Auto Museum Directors Choice Award.

The AACA Museum plays host to a Corvair car show Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. “People’s choice” awards are to be given to participating cars and attendees can enjoy door prizes, a scavenger hunt in the museum, food, and various vendors. The following day, the museum holds a Matchbox Toy Show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Additionally, Cars and Coffee is held at the museum within its “secret garage” on October 6 and 7 from 7:30 until 10 a.m. Donuts and coffee will be served.

On Sunday in Punta Gorda, Florida, Muscle Car City holds its monthly flea market on the museum grounds.

The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, holds Picnic on the Plaza for pre-war classic vehicles on October 9.

October 15 is the inaugural Toy & Model Car Show and People’s Choice Contest at the America On Wheels Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes show categories such as stock, custom, race car, street rod, truck and classics.

The Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, plans Cars and Coffees for October 15.

To show appreciation to those who have served in the military as well as members of the Warrior Transition Battalion from Fort Knox, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, invites veterans to visit the museum November 3-5, for the annual Vets ‘n Vettes celebration. The weekend includes laps and rides in Corvettes at the NCM Motorsports Park, museum tours, Corvette plant tours, road tours, a poker run, banquet and participation in the Bowling Green Veteran’s Day Parade.

Additionally, the NCM Motorsports Park holds a Trunk or Treat car show on Tuesday, October 25 from 4-6 p.m.

And it’s not just cars:

On September 28, the Kansas City Automotive Museum features the Lego movie and Ghostbusters during a free drive-in movie night.

The World of Speed Museum in Wilsonville, Oregon, holds the final practice and qualifying run for the “simulator race series” on September 29 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Drivers with top qualifying race times advance to the finals, which take place October 27.

Slated for October 1, the Gilmore Car Museum plans to show American Graffiti. Admission is $10 per car load and the museum encourages guests to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the movie, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

Earlier in the day, the museum holds a “Keep Your Motor Running” 5K run and walk through the 90-acre grounds. Day-of check in will begin Saturday morning at 7am.

The AACA Museum opens a new exhibit October 5 during its “Night at the Museum” event. Food and cocktails are available with a Route 66 flair along with a silent auction, entertainment and automotive artist gallery. Wayne Carini, host of Chasing Classic Cars, presents “A Collector Car Conversation” with car collector Ralph Marano and moderator Bill Warner, founder and chairman of the Amelia Island concours.

On October 21-22, the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia  hosts Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan and two-time Le Mans-winning driver Tommy Milner for a two-day celebration of Corvette Racing. Highlights include dinner, a meet and greet, Demo Day, memorabilia auction and autograph session.

The Seal Cove Auto Museum holds a Masquerade Ball on October 22 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento holds its annual Art of the Car benefit November 4, starring artist and car enthusiast David Garibaldi. The dinner supports the museum’s mission to preserve, exhibit and teach the story of the automobile and its influence on our lives.

Educational Opportunities:

This Saturday the Simeone Museum holds a Demo day featuring a 1909 American Underslung, 1938 Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Le Mans, 1927 Bentley 3 Litre Speed Model, and a 1958 Ferrari 250 Testarossa to show how advances in technology allowed for increasing rpm and power.

At noon on October 9, the ACD Museum presents a 1908 Zimmerman in the museum’s “If These Cars Could Talk” series.