REEDSVILLE SWAP MEET 2004

The Studebaker parts swap meet in Reedsville, PA is put on by the Manhattan Chapter of SDC every year in November, just before Thanksgiving.  The major parts dealers east of the Mississippi show up, along with many of the smaller vendors.  It's also an opportunity for anyone with a even a handful of parts to take a table and sell what they've got.  For buyers, it is an opportunity to find rare and unusual parts that just don't seem to be available through other channels.  But for everyone involved, it's a great time to socialize, tell Studebaker stories, and look for parts or cars that we all want.

Most of the parts are inside of a large exhibit building, but there are many tables outdoors as well (under a shed roof).  Cold, snow, or rain doesn't seem to slow the enthusiasm.  Here is Tom Karkiewicz's white school bus from South Bend.   Tom brings lots of parts! tomk_bus.jpg (54065 bytes)

The meet is held at the Reedsville community fair grounds in the middle of Pennsylvania.  The town is situated in a steep valley along a creek.  Nearby are many dairy farms run by Amish and Mennonite farmers.   Here is a panorama of the fairgrounds and the valley.  You will  have to scroll to the right to see it all.

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One of the stops to make in Reedsville, is Peachey's Restaurant.  It is actually in nearby Belleville, about 3 miles from the fairgrounds.  They have a fantastic Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast buffet for $5.25 that will keep you going all day while you look for parts.  They also have fantastic meat market.  I brought home a pile of smoked pork chops and several pounds of scrapple for my breakfasts.  Not diet food!   You are likely to see many of the Amish farm wagons and carriages when you go to Peachey's.

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The nearest large town is Lewistown, where Max Corkins has a restoration shop.   Max is a former president of SDC. His father owned a Studebaker dealership.   Max makes all of the local arrangements.  In addition, he hosts an open house in his shop on Friday and Saturday nights.  There are always lots of interesting cars to see, a little beer, and music from Max and his friends.

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Max at the keyboard

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Paul, Larry, Jim, and Dusty Bob at Reedsville

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"Bondo Billy" and Ellen Glass, Ray Fitchthorn, George Rohrbach - and Jeff Rice misbehaving in the background.

Of course, most of us came to look at cars and parts.  Here is an interesting '53/'55 hardtop with a Volare clip under the front and Hemi stuffed in the engine compartment.  Not stock, but it looks like fun.

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I went to buy a few trinkets for my cars.  I found a clock that can be used in my 1948 M5 truck.  The clock originally was installed in a 1941 President or Commander car, and is the one shown in the M truck accessories catalog.  Some clocks installed in M5 trucks had a slightly different face.  I have looked for a clock for several years and was happy to find this one.

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