Yesterday, we learned about Jay Klehfoth, a man who loves his four (yes, count them) Model Ts. We also mentioned the upcoming celebration on July 20 that focuses on these immortalized Ford cars. Here is some more information about that celebration and a little more about Klehfoth himself.
The Model T celebration is a week-long event that takes place in Richmond, Indiana. It usually attracts about 1,000 of these classic cars. Some of the Model Ts are coming all the way from Australia and other far off regions. Klehfoth is hoping that his efforts will put this year’s celebration in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the “longest single-model car line.”
In addition to having hundreds of Model Ts in Richmond, you’ll also see an airplane show with planes from the 1930s. Have you ever seen an old-fashioned baseball game? You will if you attend the July celebration. You can also watch other events that will make you think you’ve been transported to a simpler time in our history and culture.
That’s one of the allures for the Model T. According to Klehfoth, the “world looks a lot different at 25 mph in the open air.” With a slower moving vehicle, you can “stop and smell the roses,” so to speak instead of driving by at 75 or 80 mph. That’s why Klehfoth often takes neighborhood kids for a ride in one of his Model Ts. It gives them a chance to see what cars were once like and, to some degree, how life was much simpler then. He hopes his children and other younger generations will continue the Model T celebration for many years to come. Henry Ford would certainly be proud, wouldn’t he?
