Packards rev up for weekend shows of cars

About 60 to 80 Packards are expected at today's event.
By KATIE LIBECCO
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
WARREN -- A morning drizzle couldn't keep 10 fully restored Packard automobiles and hundreds of people away from Courthouse Square in downtown Warren on Friday.
They gathered for Packards in the Park, a joint effort between the National Packard Museum and the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County. The event was a combination of the weekly Noon in the Park program and the Packards at Your Service car show this weekend.
Music was provided at Courthouse Square by Celtic music trio Rose & amp; Thistle.
This was the third year that the National Packard Museum and the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County worked together for Noon in the Park.
"We've had people come here from all over the country, and they are all charmed by the downtown," said Bob Sturdevant, chairman of this year's car show. "We really want to highlight and enjoy this place."
Coordinators expect 60-80 Packard automobiles to participate in today's show, depending on the weather. The museum will open at 8 a.m. and the car show will begin in Packard Park at 11 a.m.
Scheduled events
At 11 a.m., a memorial service will be held for Robert McBane, one of the founding members of the museum, who died last year.
The Stephen Foster Chorus will perform at noon and the Big Band Sound of Packard will perform at 1 p.m. on the South Lawn of the W.D. Packard Music Hall.
At 2:30 p.m., the all-Packard Review and Promenade will begin and there will be an awards show at 3:30 p.m.
"We have some of the rarest Packards in the world at the museum," said Eric Offerdahl, who is on the Board of Directors at the National Packard Museum.
Cars featured in the show include a 1911 Packard Fireman's Squad Car, 1938 Packard, A.J. Miller Formal Towncar Art Carved Hearse, 1953 Air Force Packard Henney Air Force Ambulance and a 1947 Packard Taxi Cab.
The Packards at Your Service display will be at the National Packard Museum, 1899 Mahoning Ave., for at least a month, coordinators said.
The National Packard Museum will open at 10 a.m. Sunday and there will be an all-makes cruise-in at 11 a.m. Sturdevant said that he expects about 200 cars to participate in the cruise-in.