Weekend packs a trunk-load of car fun

A free concert will take place on Sunday.
WARREN -- National Packard Museum will host its 16th Annual Car Show, "Packard at Your Service," Friday through Sunday.
Attractions include entertainment, classic and collector automobiles, food, historic tours, art activities, educational programming and a nostalgic atmosphere.
The Van-Dells will perform a free concert 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Warren Community Amphitheatre. The concert is funded by a grant from the Education, Civic, and Cultural Foundation of the Warren Area Chamber of Commerce. The Van-Dells is a 12-member, Vegas-style show band. Their repertoire includes a humorous review of Rock'n'Roll history, comic and satirical skits.
Among the vehicles in the museum is a 1917 Wingfoot Express from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. The 10-feet tall, three-ton Packard was built with a wooden body. It established the first interstate trucking route by making regular, non-stop round-trips from the company's Akron tire factory and the tire fabric mill in Connecticut, a 740-mile trip.
The truck has the country's first sleeping compartment and had two drivers to make the trip, but only traveled 15 miles per hour. The journey pioneered long hauling in the United States.
Featured vehicles
Other vehicles include a 1938 A.J. Packard Art Carved Hearse loaned by William Peoples of Marietta; a 1947 Clipper Packard Taxi Cab loaned by Roger and Linda Lamm of Illinois; a 1911 Flying Squad Fire Engine loaned by the Detroit Historical Society; and a 1953 U.S. Air Force Packard Ambulance donated by Hershel Murphey of Indiana.
The weekend begins Friday with "Packards in the Park," as show registrants participate in the Fine Arts Council's Noon-In-The-Park series in Courthouse Square.
The All-Packard Show begins Saturday on the South Lawn of the W.D. Packard Music Hall.
The All-Makes Cruise-In is Sunday at Perkins Park and Warren Community Amphitheatre.
Other highlights include a police canine demonstration, collector car appraisal and valuation educational program, a Red Cross exhibit, and historic tours along Mahoning Avenue.