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Owning the Road
Thousands Gather to Honor Cultural Significance of the Automobile
On July 13, 2012, automotive enthusiasts, car clubs, civic organizations and businesses participated in celebrations to honor the third annual Collector Car Appreciation Day (CCAD). Nearly 200 official events were held in the United States, Canada and Australia to commemorate the day throughout the month of July. The official events included car club cruise-ins, business open houses, specialty shows at automobile museums and “drive your collector car to work” displays. Scores of unofficial gatherings included car shows, picnics and cruise-ins.
“This annual celebration has brought thousands of collector car owners to the forefront, which translates into millions of dollars spent in pursuit of our passion—the love of the automobile,” explained William “Skeeter” Rader, who hosted a celebration with his club, the Coachmen, in Newbury Park, California. “At the same time, we can recognize how the automobile has historically been so crucial in the growth of our society, both from a developmental perspective as well as in the creation of jobs.”
This special day was designated by U.S. Senate Resolution 452 sponsored by Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) at the request of the SEMA Action Network (SAN). Lawmakers in several states and Canada, including many local governments, followed the Senate’s lead. New York, New Mexico, Idaho, West Virginia and Hawaii, along with the Canadian Provinces of Manitoba and Nova Scotia and the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, adopted their own resolutions commemorating the day. A gallery of more than 1,000 images from these gatherings is available in an online album found at the CCAD homepage on the SAN website (www.SEMAsan.com/CCAD). Enjoy a sample of the coverage on the following pages. The SAN would like to thank everyone who supported our hobby’s “holiday” this year. Stay tuned for the announcement of next year’s celebration!