April 2, 2010

Bulldogs, Smart Cars Help America On Wheels Celebrate 2nd Anniversary
Beauty Contest, Earth Day Educational Activities Planned

Allentown, Pa – America On Wheels (AOW) celebrates its second anniversary this month with a Bull Dog Beauty Contest, a Smart Car demonstration and a weekend full of fun events focused on our nation’s automotive history.

Festivities begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 17 with a Go Green exhibit and presentation on Smart Cars conducted by the Smart Alec Club of the Lehigh Valley from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- done in conjunction with Earth Day. The fun continues with a History of the Ford Motor Company by John Kostenbader of the Lehigh Valley Model A Club at 10:30 a.m. and caps off with the Bull Dog Beauty Contest from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at 1:30 p.m. children will be able to make their own individual dirt cakes.

The museum is teaming up this year with the Art Museum and DaVinci Center on the Go Green initiative to mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Related activities will be held at both institutions throughout the weekend.

The Bull Dog Beauty Contest will feature prize pugs from across the region that will be judged by WFMZ news reporter Jaccii Farris, Morning Call columnist Bill White and other celebrity guests. In addition, Leo the Bulldog, who played “Gladstone” in the 2009 production of “Sherlock Holmes” starring Robert Downey Jr., will make a special appearance. The dirt cakes, made from Oreo cookies, Cool Whip, vanilla pudding and gummy worms, will be prepared in clear plastic cups to look like flower pots and a large dirt cake will be in display to inspire the youngsters.

“We’re very excited not just to celebrate our anniversary but to be able work with so many different people, clubs and organizations that have made the past two years so successful,” said AOW Executive Director Linda Merkel. “I am thrilled to participate in this cooperative Earth Day venture with the Art Museum and DaVinci Center and I think our visitors will really enjoy the information sessions and the beauty contest.”

America On Wheels opened in April 2008 as the cornerstone of the City of Allentown’s redevelopment plans for the Lehigh River waterfront between the Hamilton Street and Tilghman Street bridges just off Front Street. Since the opening it has drawn more than 41,000 visitors, including dignitaries such as U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, Italian automobile collector Nichola Bulgari and famed Indy 500 racer Mario Andretti.

The anniversary weekend also marks one of the last opportunities to view 11 unique vehicles in the “Imagineering At Its Best – Cool, Crazy and Creative” custom and concept car exhibit. The exhibit ends in late April and will be replaced with a muscle car exhibit in early May.

Easily accessible to a half-dozen other renowned cultural institutions in Allentown, AOW celebrates our nation’s love affair with motorized and non-motorized over-the-road transportation and its permanent exhibits range from the Nadig – one of America’s first automobiles, produced in Allentown – to the massive Mack Trucks that helped America become the most powerful nation in the world. AOW also offers hands-on playtime exhibits and learning centers for the children and a souvenir shop for race fans and anyone with an affinity for our automotive legacy.

For More Information:
Linda Merkel - Executive Director
America On Wheels Museum
5 N. Front St. Allentown, PA
(610) 432-4200
director@americaonwheels.org
www.americaonwheels.org