MTFCA Forum

For my first trip to Hershey I would like to have some sort of plan.
Is there a certain area or field that carries a large amount of T parts?
Do they section of these areas by era of car or is it a free for all?
Where is a good place to park ? Preferably free.
What do shopping people do for multiple day accommodations? Hotel,Motel,Campsite, sleep in there car?
Just trying to draw up a treasure map so to speak as I don’t want to kill myself.
Bryant

This is what I have done for many years:
1. Go to the AACA website and print out all maps of all the Hershey fields.
2. Go to this Forum's General Discussion where someone always posts a question something like, "what are you selling at Hershey."
3. Print out that forum page of the spaces where people will be 'selling.'
4. Highlight on the maps where they will be and maybe what they say they are selling.
5. Make my own map of where I will start and meander through Hershey looking for these vendors.
6. As I meander, I will be shopping along the way.
7. Buy ice cream around 4 pm!

Have fun!

In my opinion, if you are a first timer, buy the $5.00 program at the entrance. It lists vendors by name and by category and gives their space numbers. I find it easiest to find a vendor by noting the lamp standard number closest to them on the map. It's easier to spot the lamp standards than to search underfoot for row and space numbers. This will get you started on the first day and then you can make a plan to hit what looks most interesting from the map. It's also fun to wander aimlessly by times as you don't always find the treasures where you expect them. Also you may not know that you need an item until you see it .
As far as a place to stay, you might want to consider the Hershey Park Campground. They are nearby and a free shuttle service is provided, throughout the day from the campground to the flea market, so no concern about parking. You should call ahead now to make sure a space is available at the campground. Cabins and RV sites are usually booked well ahead but tent sites may be available. If you know anyone else that is going consider the possibility of sharing transportation and/or accommodations. That has worked well for me for several years, but again best to plan ahead. My fist year going I was able to get a cabin on short notice (name on a waiting list) and was able to recruit some other car nuts to share the cabin by posting on this forum. They were great guys and some have continued with me for years. One of my friends, when I told him about this process couldn't believe that I would make this arrangement with complete strangers and that it worked out so well. My attitude was that I was pretty sure that I wouldn't end up with one or more Model T guys that also happened to be serial killers. So far so good!
Good luck and have fun!

I’d say the Chocolate and Red field probably has most of the “T” venders in them. The deals are in the spots where “Bobby” cleaned out his grandpa’s barn and has no idea what they had. I’ve picked up things like a beautiful Spencer fat man steering wheel for $40.00, a Klaxon brass bell horn for $20.00. A large tote of mostly 1912ish T parts like speedometer swivels, speedometer gears over 15 Schraeder tire gauges, over 20 brass twist oilers a double tube Bridgeport brass tire pump and a bunch of misc brass parts, “give me $20.00 and get it out of here”. Those venders are all over the place.

For us it is a 96 mile drive.

Best to get there, park, purchase a programme, and spend the day with programme and map searching items of interest. Good day trip.

The swap meet is basically a free for all. It would be impossible to organize the vendors. Especially since a lot of vendors sell parts for all types of antique cars. That’s what makes the Hershey experience so much fun!

I would suggest to just bite the bullet and pay to park in the grass field across the street from the swap meet. There is no admission fee to get into the swap meet. You could probably find a place to park for free somewhere far away but you might waste a lot of time and energy going back and forth to your car to drop off your purchases.

A good place to find a hotel is west of Hershey towards Harrisburg. I stay in an area which is considered East Harrisburg. There are lots of hotels and plenty of restaurants.

In the next few weeks people will be posting on the forum things they are bringing to sell and their space numbers. I like to travel light so I screenshot the maps off it the AACA website and save them to my phone and make a list of vendors and their locations on my notes on my phone.

You may want to think about joining AACA and getting a vendor space for next year. If you are there the whole week and have your own space you will have a place to park, camp, and sell your own stuff all week. It’s a way better deal than paying to park every day.

There was a fair amount of T stuff in the Orange Field last year too!

Thanks for all the reply’s! I will get a treasure map at the gate I guess. I see another thread forming with vendors spaces and parts lists.
I looked up camp tent sites but they appear to be all booked up and double the price as the following week. I guess there on to us
Still looking for free parking. I’d rather put money towards T parts if I have that option.
Bryant

I am sharing Orange field spaces OBG 29, 30, and 31 with a friend that is bringing a 24 foot trailer full of mostly Model T parts.

I will be bringing two professionally rebuilt in Ohio Short Blocks For Sale. One is a 1925 with a 4 November 1925 Make Date and has the bolt holes for a 1926 transmission. The other is a 1926 with 31 March 1926 Make Date. Call or Email me for more detail on the overall rebuilt items.

As a vendor for Hershey you also need a PA Tax #

You may want to think about joining AACA and getting a vendor space for next year. If you are there the whole week and have your own space you will have a place to park, camp, and sell your own stuff all week. It’s a way better deal than paying to park every day

I have found that each stall s a wooden block with the vendors name and stall number. If I see something that Im interested in I take a photo of it with my cell phone. Makes it easier to relocate a particular stall again.

frontyboy.

The time to buy something at Hershey is when you see it. If you try to do the "come back" trick the part will be gone, the vendor will be closed and covered, his helper won't have any idea what you're talking about or you won't remember where the part was. Price too high? Ask yourself - what did you come there for? The pain of purchase is soon forgotten, while the suffering because you were a few bucks cheap lingers forever.
Terry (hopelessly addicted to Hershey since 1970).

You see something you want or need buy it.
Few years ago I had a couple sets of wire wheels and hubs. Gave a guy a price, he wanted to think . He walked over to other side of aisle and walked back over to buy. They were both gone.
Don’t walk away. Dan

As others point out...it is a huge circus but a very fun circus. Maybe do a search for an aerial shot of the past to show the sheer size of it all.

I've been going since there was one row of vendors behind the stadium...and I would go up early Saturday, stop for a decent breakfast along the way, actually park on the north side of the stadium, blow in in time to watch the show cars enter the stadium, then go check who was selling what out back, then come back and waltz around the show field chatting up with folk, then hit the road late afternoon, have a central PA early din, and be home at dusk or just after.

I've lived through spaces at new fields of all colors, old fields now no longer there - going up on Wednesday and actually staying until daybreak Sunday - mud shows - the showers when they were IN the stadium locker rooms.

I think the advice is good to index as many spaces as you can in advance depending on how long you stay. Wear comfortable shoes. Do park in the adjacent field. In recent years without a space, I park there for the few bucks...car is right there to carry stuff back to (such as - wanted a decent demountable complete spare for my Hack, old one had a blister...not 10 rows in there is a guy with sets...of 4's...and I pleaded he break set into singles. His answer was come back the end of the day which as others point out, usually never works. I got him down to 2 and then he left hooked me with a deal I couldn't refuse..a set of all 4, mounted on wheels, complete with hubs and brake drums...all for what I was bargaining a 2 set of demount with mounted tire only. SCORE! And am I glad the car was right there! Had I bused in, may not have happened!)

Here is a suggestion. While a first timer should target spaces and dash...keep the eyes open for anything that catches your eyes in passing. Lot's of non-T guys have T stuff. A few years ago when repo Bendix had not been available for over a year, I happened to spot cowl lampss on a table and went to look to see if they were grungy '15 E&J or black era...under that table was a Homer-bucket filled to the brim with Bendix assemblies all bathed in oil. Many were T the spring orientation still straight and they wound up in my stash for but only 5-10 bucks each. Was a bad investment - I wound up giving some away, lol.

Spaces within 40 miles are usually gone well in advance. The key word being usually. I've gone up recently for a day trip plan, and at the end of the day decided I didn't want to drive home that night...cell phone and 'find me a place to stay' turned up one 10 minutes north west! I not only stayed the night...I went back the next day to the 'fields' and then headed home after lunch.

Have fun...

How exciting! I see $20 to park! you got to pay to play i guess