Vintage Motorcar Festival

2013 Chesterwood Vintage Motorcar FestivalChesterwood, a National Trust Historic Site, announces its 2013 Chesterwood Vintage Motorcar Festival.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT TO THE SHOW TODAY.  DESPITE THE WEATHER, WE HAD A LOT OF FUN!  THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CHESTERWOOD.Initiated in 1974, the Chesterwood show has always been one of the region’s most popular meets.Chesterwood is the country home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost public sculptor, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), who created such iconic works as the Minute Man in Concord, MA, and Abraham Lincolnfor the Lincoln Memorial. The breathtaking vistas of the Berkshire Hills and the artist’s beautiful country estate and grounds provide a fitting venue to display antique cars.


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Ticket Information:

ONLINE TICKETING HAS ENDED. YOU CAN PURCHASE TICKETS THE DAY OF THE SHOW ON MAY 26, 2013.  SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!

Admission Tickets: $15 ($10 Friends of Chesterwood), free to children under 18 years of age. Tickets can be purchased online or at Chesterwood on the day of the event.
In addition to the car show, visitors will enjoy touring the residence and exploring the gardens and woodland walks. Buildings are open from 10am to 5pm.

Date: May 26th, Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend.

Time: The show is open to the general public from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

Rain Policy: The show is held rain or shine. If the grounds are soft from rain, Chesterwood reserves the right to limit display spaces. These restrictions are necessary to protect the historic lawns from damage.

Pets: Only service animals are permitted on the grounds. All other animals are not allowed on the estate.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please call Lisa Reynolds at 413-298-3579 x25210 or email chesterwood@savingplaces.org. All proceeds go to support Chesterwood, a National Trust Historic Site.

Showcase Your Vehicle

Hagerty Goody Bag
PRE-REGISTRATION IS OVER. PLEASE CONTACT CHESTERWOOD DIRECTLY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER YOUR VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE FESTIVAL.

Lisa Reynolds, Chesterwood Business Office Manager (413-298-3579 x25210 or email chesterwood@savingplaces.org)

Registration entitles the owner and one additional adult admission to the show and Chesterwood. Children under 18, receive free admission. If you don’t get a chance to see the museum that day, bring your pass to admission to visit another day this season! Goodie bags courtesy of Hagerty Insurance will be given out as long as supplies last.

This year, we will be holding Operation Ignite! a youth judging program sponsored by Hagerty Insurance. The Car Show is looking for 5 individual vehicle owners who would like to participate in this program and talk about their vehicles to the participating youth judges. If you would like to participate you and your car in this kid-friendly activity, please contact Lisa Reynolds at 413-298-3579 x25210 or email chesterwood@savingplaces.org.

Registration Information: Preregistration is $15 and open until May 19. Register online (button above) or download a pre-registration form (PDF) to print at home and mail in at your convenience. Registration the day of the event is $20 per car.

  • Groups of two or more vehicles may register together for $10 per vehicle in advance or on the day of the event.
  • Groups of five or more vehicles may pre-register together for $5 per vehicle.  Large collection of vehicles (for example Car Clubs), please contact Chesterwood beforehand.

Please make one lump-sum payment for multiple vehicles and include a separate preregistration form for each vehicle. Thank you.

Participant Vehicle Cut-off Date: 1988 – We are basing the cut-off date on the Antique Automobile Club of America’s guidelines, that vehicles 25 years and older are included in the AACA classifications.

Protection of Cars on Display:Chesterwood security asks the public and exhibitors to refrain from touching the cars on display. Parents are requested to control their children’s actions while around antique cars. Chesterwood does not assume liability for protection or damage to vehicles on display. All show vehicles must be equipped with a fire extinguisher.

Rain Policy: The show is held rain or shine. If the grounds are soft from rain, Chesterwood reserves the right to limit display spaces. These restrictions are necessary to protect the historic lawns from damage.

Judging

Judging has been revised for 2013.  In place of judging vehicles in formal categories, the Festival Planning Committee has decided to focus on more crowd-friendly awards, including:

  • Director of Chesterwood Award
  • People’s Choice Award
  • Owner’s Choice Award
  • Vehicle I would most like to drive home
  • Oldest Vehicle
  • Rarest vehicle
  • Best interior
  • Best paint
  • Most original car (need registration checkbox)
  • Best classic or timeless elegance
  • Best color combination
  • Best woodwork
  • Most “fun” vehicle
  • Best vehicle presentation
  • Best costume(s)
  • Furthest travelled to attend the festival Award
  • Major Sponsor(s) award – each major sponsor gets to pick a vehicle to award.

Appearance judging takes place between 10:00am and 1:00pm. Because we want to adhere to our schedule for judging and awards, cars entering the show after 10:00am will not be judged, but can be admitted as general show, and will be eligible for the “People’s Choice” award.

Award Time: The presentation of awards will begin at 2:00pm. Because the car show is open until 4:00pm, for the enjoyment of an admiring public, we encourage owners to keep their cars in place until the show is over. Owners and cars must be present to receive an award. Chesterwood will take complimentary photographs of award winners with their vehicles after the award ceremony. The digital photograph will be emailed to the owner the following business week.

Awards: Winners of awards will be presented with trophies that depict or exemplify works of art produced by Daniel Chester French.

Kid-Friendly Activities

Operation Ignite! – Hagerty Youth Judging
Operation Ignite!
Children between the ages of 8-16 can participate in Hagerty Insurance’s Operation Ignite! Youth Judging Program. Up to 15 kids can participate. Preregistration is required. Please visit www.chesterwood.org/carshow for more information. The Festival is looking for 5 individual vehicle owners who would like to participate in this program and talk about their vehicles to the participating youth judges.  Last year’s vehicle owners really had a great time with the kids!

Operation Ignite! Kids with a McLaren    

Established in 2007, Hagerty Operation Ignite! Connecting Kids and Cars is a suite of programs designed to grow the interest of the hobby among young people through interactive events such as Youth Judging, Model Building, Youth Reporter and the Hagerty Driving Experience. Since its inception, more than 2,000 youth have been introduced to classic cars through Hagerty Operation Ignite! programs held at events throughout the United States and Canada.

For questions regarding Youth Judging at the Chesterwood Concours, please contact Chesterwood via Lisa Reynolds (413-298-3579 x25210 or email chesterwood@savingplaces.org

For general information about Hagerty Operation Ignite! Connecting Kids and Cars, please contact Hagerty Youth Coordinator, Tabetha Salsbury, at 231.922.8837 or operationignite@hagerty.com.

Car Scavenger HuntCar Scavenger Hunt
This year Chesterwood would like to take a picture of an interesting visual element on your vehicle. Photos will then be included in a scavenger hunt that kids between the ages of 4-10 can look for during the show. Photographed elements must be easily visible so kids do not need to explore vehicles too closely. Kids who identify all vehicles in the scavenger hunt will receive a prize.

New This Year: Lego Car Racing: Kids will be able to build their own vehicle out of Lego and race their vehicle against other kids.  Races are informal and no one loses!  Kids and their parents can get a complimentary picture taken with their creation and the digital photograph will be emailed to them the following business week.

 

Live Music: The Gentleman Outfit  (12pm-2pm)

The Gentleman Outfit endeavors to bridge the gap between today’s popular music and the pure acoustic roots of rock and roll. A strong foundation of vocal harmony, coupled with the simple marriage of a guitar and a djembe, makes for a unique sound that spans several genres and generations.

Members:

Jesse McCullagh – Guitar, Vocals                         Jim LeSuer – Djembe, Vocals

Influences:

Jason Mraz, The Spill Canvas, The Manchester Orchestra, Third Eye Blind, Gavin DeGraw, Ben Harper, Breaking Benjamin, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jack Johnson, The Dave Matthews Band, State Radio, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mayer

DJ Chuck Wright (throughout the day)

DJ Chuck Wright will be serving up the hits from the 40′s, 50′s 60′ and 70′s.

Local Foods

Barrington Bites

Bunners Hot Dogs

Coffee 55

How We Roll

Lakota Bar-B-Q

Multicultural Bridge

Soco Creamery

Volunteers Wanted:

The Chesterwood Vintage Motorcar Festival is looking for volunteers! Volunteers will receive a free Chesterwood T-Shirt, food & refreshments and free admission to the show. We are looking for able-bodied folks to assist in the following areas:

  • Vehicle Registration: Help sign-in vehicle owners who are exhibting their vehicle(s) in the show. Required time to attend: 7:30-11AM.
  • Vehicle Parking Guides: Help guide vehicles owners to their designated spot on the Chesterwood property. Required time to attend: 7:30-11AM.
  • Traffic Control: Direct exhibitors and patrons to ensure constant flow of traffic near the entrance of Chesterwood. Required time to attend: various 2-3 hour shifts throughout the day.
  • Admissions: Assist with the ticketing of the event. Required time to attend: various 2-3 hour shifts throughout the day.
  • Food Concessions: Assist in the sale of food concessions (water, popcorn, etc.) and/or assist food vendors participating in the event. Required time to attend: various 2-3 hour shifts throughout the day.
  • Judging Assistants: Assist judges and event staff in ensuring proper and timely tabulation of judging results. Required time to attend: 10AM-2:30PM.
  • Youth Judging Coordinators: Manage day-of activities for the Operation Ignite! Youth Judging Program. Must attend a pre-event planning meeting (time TBD). Required time to attend: 10AM-2:30PM.
  • Youth Scavenger Hunt Coordinators: Assist kids participating in the Scavenger Hunt as well as assist vehicle owners in ensuring protection of vehicles. Required time to attend: various 3 hour shifts throughout the day.
  • Lego Car Racing: Assist kids participating in the Lego Car Racing activity. Required time to attend: various 3 hour shifts throughout the day.
  • Photographer(s): Photograph event activities, participants and produce photo assets for Scavenger Hunt. Must bring own camera and able to offload photos during the event. Required time to attend: All-Day or half-day shifts.

Contact Lisa Reynolds (413-298-3579 x25210 or email chesterwood@savingplaces.org) for more information about volunteering opportunities.

 
 

Daniel Chester French Sculptures (Flickr)

National Trust News

Chesterwood Videos:

Contact Us

Address:
4 Williamsville Road (physical address)
PO Box 827 (mailing address)
Stockbridge, MA 01262

Telephone: 413.298.3579
Extension 25222 for the Museum Shop
Extension 25210 for additional tour information,
including group reservations

Fax: 413.298.3973
Email: chesterwood@nthp.org

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