Boyertown’s 57th Annual Duryea Day welcomes more than 500 vehicles to be displayed Sept. 2
An estimated 1,200 to 1,500 spectators will come out to see between 500 to 700 vehicles on display at Boyertown Community Park on Saturday, Sept. 2.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles and the Pottstown Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America will host the 57th Annual Duryea Day Antique & Classic Car & Truck Show & Flea Market.
“The Museum hopes the event will be a fun, family-friendly day in the Boyertown Community Park,” said Michaela Zaborowski, community engagement coordinator at the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles.
Duryea Day is named after Charles Duryea, who, along with his brother Frank, made the first commercially marketed car in the United States. Charles moved to Reading, and for eight years built very unique cars at his Duryea Power Company factory.
Several of those Duryea automobiles are on display in the Boyertown Museum. The Duryea Day name is an homage to this early automotive pioneer, explained Kendra Cook, executive director of Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, in previous event coverage.
Proceeds help the museum to continue its mission of collecting, preserving, and exhibiting Pennsylvania transportation heritage. The Boyertown Museum, like Duryea Day, began in 1965 and continues to tell Pennsylvania’s industrial, cultural, and technological history through the lens of road transportation.
“Duryea Day is the Museum’s largest fundraiser and is intended to strengthen our community ties and raise important funding for our operations and the maintenance of our collections and facilities,” said Zaborowski.
Hundreds of vehicles will be on display throughout the park. All makes, models, and years of any car, truck and motorcycle are welcome.
“We don’t discriminate! See vehicles of all makes, models, and years,” said Zaborowski.
The display will include restored vehicles, all original, barn finds, modified and hot rods. This year’s featured vehicle make is Cadillac.
Day-of-show vehicle registration is $20 and is open 8 a.m. to noon. Pre-1920 vehicles are free.
New this year, organizers will present eight class trophies, including pre-war car, post-war car, sports car, street machine, street rod, motorcycle, commercial truck, and pickup truck plus 30 additional museum choice trophies.
Also new this year will be a demonstration by the Friends of Reading Police Sheriff K-9 Unit.
Returning again to Duryea Day will be an old-time strongman show by The Irish Anvil.
About 200 spectators watched as strongman The Irish Anvil, aka Tom Kelly, bent an iron bar during a demonstration at last year’s Duryea Day. He performed feats of strength in front of a 1938 Dodge truck with a modified camper and show stage that had been owned and built by Joseph “The Mighty Atom” Greenstein, famous strongman who for years made weekly appearances at Zern’s Farmers Market in Gilbertsville.
“Many locals still remember The Mighty Atom’s shows, and even more remember the show performed by his apprentice, ‘Slim the Hammerman,’ who also used the truck as a backdrop for his feats of strength,” said Cook in previous event coverage.
The Irish Anvil, himself a student of Slim the Hammerman, will once again put on strongman show during Duryea Day.
Also, visit the Museum of Historic Vehicles during Duryea Day only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and take a photo with the DeLorean time machine tribute car in the museum’s summer exhibit “Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Roads: A Back to the Future Tribute.” For $5, sit in the iconic car. The “Back to the Future” exhibit concludes after Labor Day.
The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles welcomed guest curator Tom Silknitter for the “Back to the Future” Tribute exhibit, which opened June 22 and remains on display through August. The main feature of this exhibit is Silknitter’s tribute car — an exact replica of the DeLorean time machine used in the “Back to the Future” film trilogy, which he recreated using production notes and drawings.
The Museum exhibit includes Silknitter’s collection of “Back to the Future” memorabilia from toys to DeLorean models to skateboards. Also featured are rare concept art from the blockbuster film trilogy, as well as production notes and drawings Silknitter used to build his tribute car.
Truist is the platinum sponsor for Duryea Day.
Spectator $10 tickets for adults include admission to the park and the museum 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children age 15 and younger are admitted free. A shuttle service will be available between the park and museum throughout the duration of the event.
For more information, visit boyertownmuseum.org/duryea-day or visit the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles Facebook page.