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“30 under 30” Class at Audrain Concours
Read how the Audrain Concours is engaging a younger audience:
The favored 30 Under 30 Class will return bigger and better than ever at the 2020 Audrain Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, October 4, 2020 at the Breakers Mansion.
The 30 Under 30 is a class designed for hobbyists under thirty years of age who have not spent more than $30,000 on their project. This class has been developed to encourage young people to get involved in the hobby of car collecting and restoration. By having this officially judged class, it is our goal to foster growth within the collector hobby, by showing young people that collecting and restoring is not just for the affluent, and isn’t limited to cars in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
photo credit: www.newportri.com
Gasparilla Concours on a Roll in Tampa
The inaugural Gasparilla Concours d’Elegance in April was well received in Tampa, a direct result of extensive pre-planning and community engagement.
Organizers report that more than $22,000 was raised for the Wheelchair Department at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa. Also of note is that the Concours, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is recognized as Guidestar Platinum for charity transparency.
The 2020 event takes place on April 18 and applications can be made online. It’s a great opportunity for car collectors to kick off the show season with a vacation to sunny Florida.
Milwaukee Concours Cancelled for 2020
The Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance board of directors announced on November 14 that the show will not take place in 2020, citing financial and leadership circumstances. Organizers are hopeful the event will return in 2021.
Here’s the official announcement:
The 2019 Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance was a presentation of the 15th consecutive event on Milwaukee’s beautiful Veterans Park on the lakefront. The Board’s goal was to grow the Milwaukee Concours into one of the premier events in the Midwest for the benefit of car enthusiasts and to support our designated charitable partners. We invested in making the show field a spectacular presentation and promoted the event extensively. The Board wishes to thank our volunteers, exhibitors, vendors and charities for making the past 15 years possible.
As the 2019 event drew to a close the Board reflected on the current state of affairs and concluded we were not meeting our financial goals and had not done so for several years. Further we were facing several key volunteer leadership openings going into 2020 for which we had limited candidates. Given these factors, it became obvious changes had to be made for 2020, while we regrouped for 2021.
As a result, the Board is exploring a half day motor tour for 2020 to a noteworthy destination which will be followed by a luncheon at the location. There will be no lakefront activities at Veterans Park for 2020. As 2020 unfolds extensive work will be done by the Board to identify additional volunteer leadership staff and to potentially reconstitute the Milwaukee Concours in 2021 including activities which are more likely to deliver the desired financial outcome.
The Board is most appreciative of the hard work and dedication of the extensive number of volunteers who have made the past 15 years possible. Further, the Board looks forward to newly formatted Milwaukee Concours in the future.
(photo credit: SJ Janis)
Elegance at Hershey concours cancelled for 2020
After nine years of presenting a world class concours weekend, The Elegance at Hershey Board of Directors, announced on Facebook yesterday that the event will take a hiatus in 2020. Since its inception, the event — held at the historic Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pa. — has raised over $1 million for three benefitting charities: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum and the AACA Library and Research Center.
Board chair Michael Rich, son of the event’s founder, explained in the letter below that “From day one, we have been guided by the principle that if we could not make a substantial difference to our charities that there would be no reason to exist.”
According to vice chairman Steve Moskowitz, a successful year would have to net at least $100,000 for the charities.
In an interview with ClassicCars.Com Journal, Moskowitz explained, “… it wouldn’t be ethical for us to put on a big party and then donate just a little money.”
The Elegance at Hershey was more than a car show. The 3-day weekend began on Friday with The Grand Ascent, a revival of the Hershey Hill Climb, which flourished from 1958 until the 1970s on a wooded service road owned by the hotel. The Ascent featured vintage race cars and continued on Saturday. On Sunday, there was the concours d’elegance that featured about 70 of the finest collector cars. Other activities included a Kick-off Cocktail Party, Cars & Coffee, Gala Dinner & Auction, VIP breakfast and lunch, the Awards Ceremony and a final reception called the Elegance Afterglow.
The Board has not ruled out a continuation of the event in future years.
Photos: by John Olman, except Facebook letter