What’s Happening

There’s always a lot going on at America On Wheels and here at the AOW blog we’re going to give weekly updates as to what’s happening at the museum for the week. Check here at the beginning of each week to see our schedule of events and plan your next visit with us. Here’s What’s Happening with us this week:

Thursday – 3/31/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Friday – 4/1/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Saturday – 4/2/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Sunday – 4/3/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

Monday – 4/4/2011

CLOSED

Tuesday – 4/5/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

Wednesday – 4/6/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

Kid's Exploration Day

America On Wheels loves children and families, and we especially love when they come visit. Tomorrow, March 26, 2011, we will be hosting Kid’s Exploration Day, a day for children and their families to come and explore our museum. We have a ton of exciting activities lined up for the day.

Who doesn’t like a car race? We will be hosting a matchbox car races to see who’s has the fastest time and who’s car can go the longest distance.

Kids can make their very own license plates by creating crayon rubbings of real license plates. We also are encouraging children’s creative sides by asking them to create the car of the future using model magic.

The whole family can participate in the museum scavenger hunt. Combine your knowledge and talents to find what we’ve hidden for you.

Along with our special events for the day, visitors will see our permanent exhibits as well as our Northeast Dragsters exhibit!

Women’s History Month – Women in the World of Cars

Here at America On Wheels we would like to pay tribute to the exceptional women who’ve paved the way for women in all facets of the auto industry in honor of Women’s History Month.

1903 – Mary Anderson invented the first device to improve the safety of early automobiles by creating a device to clear windshields of snow, sleet and rain. The first windshield wipers! Imagine driving without them?

1909 – Twenty-Two year old Alice Ramsey is the first woman to successfully drive across the United States

1910-1920 - Women’s suffrage movement uses automobiles to organize nationwide tours to gain support

1917 – Charlotte Bridgewood improved on Anderson’s invention by developing electric windshield wipers

1930s – Helena Bartlett invented spark plugs

1950s – Denise McCluggage becomes one of the most famed races of her era

1976 - Janet Guthrie is the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup Superspeedway Race. She went on to be the first woman to comepete in both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500

1989 – Courtney Caldwell starts the first automobile publication targeted towards women titled American Woman Road and Travel which aimed to provide resources and information for women auto buyers

2005 – Danica Patrick wins Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar 500 Series

2008 – Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win an Indy car race with her win in the Indy Japan 300

There have been numerous women who have impacted the great world of automobiles throughout history and though they have not always been given the credit they deserve, we are celebrating these and many other women here this month.

What’s Happening

There’s always a lot going on at America On Wheels and here at the AOW blog we’re going to give weekly updates as to what’s happening at the museum for the week. Check here at the beginning of each week to see our schedule of events and plan your next visit with us. Here’s What’s Happening with us this week:

Thursday – 3/24/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Friday – 3/25/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Saturday – 3/26/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

All Day – AOW Museum is celebrating kids with special activities like matchbox car races, license plate rubbings, model magic car creations and a museum scavanger hunt.

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Sunday – 3/27/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

Monday – 3/28/2011

CLOSED

Tuesday – 3/29/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

Wednesday – 3/30/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

Thoughts with Those Affected by the Earthquake & Tsunami in Japan

The world watched with tears as the earthquake and tsunami ravaged Japan. We are all in fear of a nuclear meltdown and radiation poisoning as a result of damages to nuclear plants and hope that these problems can be resolved quickly and safely.

Amid the destruction of life, homes and infrastructure this natural (and possibly nuclear) disaster, the auto industry has been significantly affected. At the time of print there have been lives lost and serious structural damage at all three of the major Japanese car importers to the US.

According to official statements from the companies, Toyota has halted all production in Japanese facilities until, at the earliest, March 22, several of Nissan’s plants have been affected by serious damages and over 2,000 US bound cars have been damaged by either the earthquake and tsunami and Honda has reported at least 1 employee death and at least 30 employee injuries and several shut down plants.

America On Wheels sends its deepest sympathies to all those who have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami and hope that recovery will occur quickly and safely.

What’s Happening: Weekend Edition

There’s always a lot going on at America On Wheels and here at the AOW blog we’re going to give weekly updates as to what’s happening at the museum for the week. Check here at the beginning of each week to see our schedule of events and plan your next visit with us. Here’s What’s Happening with us this weekend.

Thursday – 3/17/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

All Day: St. Patrick’s Day Fun – Wear green and receive $1 off Admission and receive a free guided road trip tour (tours leave at 11am & 1pm)

Friday – 3/18/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Saturday – 3/19/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

8pm: Allentown Public Theatre presents Blackbird - For tickets and information: www.allentownpublictheatre.com or call 888-895-5645

Sunday – 3/20/2011

All Day: Nostalgic Drag Race Cars from the 60's on exhibit in our Changing Exhibit Gallery

Saving the Great American Road Trip

With spring finally heading our way we’re all thinking of getting back out on the road whether it be for our Great American Road Trip or for just a spin around the neighborhood, but with gas prices expecting to rise to about 5 dollars per gallon its going to be tough to rationalize such trips.

Many companies have tapped into various alternative fuel resources in order to help save the earth and our automotive pastime. Between hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius to cars running on biofuel we can’t help but be excited about what the future holds for powering our beloved machines.

Will the US adopt the style of a city in Sweden that uses the city’s own waste to fuel their cars (and other energy necessities)? Will we embrace solar energy? Where will the road to alternative energy lead?

What A Drag! (In a Good Way)

For so many, Drag Racing brings up images of lightning speed cars, the smell of rubber on asphalt, gasoline in the air, and exciting finishes. Drag Racing has a long history beginning in the United States at the end of the Second World War and quickly spreading to all corners of the world.

These exciting races came to Lehigh Valley in 1955 when the Lehigh Valley Timing Association. This group helped to bring the new auto-sport to the area by organizing racing events at Queen City and the Vargo Dragway in the 1960s.

America On Wheels is presenting an exhibit on the legacy of Drag Racing from now until June 11, 2011. Visitors can experience the excitement of Drag Racing’s early days from the designated raceways to the back roads of the Northeast. The exhibit includes:

1984 Corvette jet powered funny
1960s restored dragster
1941 Willys Sedan
1932 Ford Three-Window Coupe
1968 Plymouth Barracuda “Lightweight”
1959 Lyndwood Chassis “Eliminator II”
1942 Willys-Overland Americar Coupe
1969 Ford BOSS Pro Stock Mustang
1975 Ford Super Modified Maverick
1972 Chevrolet Vega Wagon "Jungle Jim” Pro Stock
1969 S&W Chassis Top Fuel Dragster
1941 Willys Sedan Cooper Speed works (barn find)
Kid's Drag Race Pedal Car
Flathead Ford Display Engine
Ford Flat Head V8 Engine

Welcome to the AOW Blog

Welcome to the America On Wheels blog! We here at America On Wheels are dedicated to the past, present and future of over the road transportation and now we are taking that dedication to the blogosphere.

The AOW blog has been created to discuss our the interests of car lovers, what’s going on here at the museum and car news around the world!

Look out for our posts to find out what’s going on in the fast-paced world of motor-vehicles!