About
The Antique Automobile Club of America MidHudson Region was created in 1970 and has been an active organization for 49 years. We are located in the Mid-Hudson Valley about 70 miles north of New York City. Our MidHudson Region of the AACA Car Club tries to meets on the second Wednesday of the month.The location, Date and time does vary so please check the up coming events for the time, date and location. Up coming events can be found on the front page in red. The area that the Mid-Hudson region covers is illustrated in the map below.
All folks interested in the antique automobile hobby are welcome to stop by and check us out. If you’re interested in joining, go to the Membership Info page, print the application and bring it with you. Our meetings usually last about 90 minutes and cover club business with refreshments and entertainment. Check our calendar page for the next meeting date.
Our MidHudson Regional AACA Club is active in supporting or attending many of the car shows in our area, starting with the Rhinebeck Car Show and Swap Meet . This is one of the northeast’s largest meets and the voice you hear making announcements over the PA will be from one of our members. An advantage to being a MidHudson member is complimentary admission to this 3-day event. Many members also attend the following area car shows: Locust Grove (Samuel F.B. Morse’s Home ), Mills Mansion, Sawyer Motors Car Show ( Saugerties ) and the Catskill Region AACA show. The mid-hudson valley has many smaller neighborhood car shows as well, throughout the year. Our region is also known for its motorcycle collectors and fabricators. The motorcycle museum in Newburgh claims, “Motorcylepedia is the largest educational Motorcycle Museum in the world!” . Of course any motorcycle enthusiast has watched the TV show Orange County Choppers, again located in Newburgh. Not to be outdone, over 60 World War I aircraft can be found at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome along with some period automobiles. Poughkeepsie, NY was the home of FIAT US manufacturing from 1909-1918 ( See picture and article at Poughkeepsie FIAT ).
The technology giant IBM has two large manufacturing plants in the mid-hudson valley making for many high-tech employment opportunities.
Since we are a non-profit organization, we look to give back to our community for their support to our Mid-Hudson Regional AACA Car Club. We offer a yearly $ 1000.00 scholarship named for one of our founding members, Lorne E. Richards, and it goes to a BOCES automotive student furthering their education. The 2018 scholarship was awarded to Cameron Near of Pine Plains. The full article can be found in our Grease Rag newsletter ( 2018-0608 GR ).
We also select worthy charities to donate to at our yearly planning meeting. Some of the most recent charities have been St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Dutchess Outreach.
The Mid-Hudson Valley is rich in history and has many historical landmarks, such as the West Point Military Academy as well as the home of FDR and Eleanor . The proximity to New York City and easy access by the New York Central Railroad made the Mid-Hudson Valley the summer residences of the rich and famous during the gilded age. Families, like the Vanderbilts, Samuel F.B. Morse, Roosevelts, Mills and Livingstons, built estates on the eastern shore of the Hudson River. The Livingstons achieved most of their wealth through agriculture and leased lands on both the east and west shores of the Hudson River. Our Mid-Hudson Valley area is known for its apple, pear and peach orchards . The Mid-Hudson Valley is dotted with many vineyards and is famous for its wines . In fact, there is a Dutchess County Wine Trail and a Shawangunk Wine Trail and both have beautiful vineyards and wineries.
Both Poughkeepsie and Newburgh offer Hudson River waterfronts. These waterfronts were used for dockage by large steam-powered day boats to and from New York City. Today on these waterfronts you can find several very nice restaurants and marinas. In Newburgh, you can get passage on the stern-wheeler, River Rose and take a cruise south past West Point Military Academy and Bannerman’s Castle .
The Mid-Hudson Valley is also home to the Hudson Valley Renegades. A Minor league baseball team affiliated with the New York Yankees.
Our Mid-Hudson Region AACA Car Club is fortunate to be located in such a historically rich and diverse community with many places to visit and activities to participate in.