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Party like it's 1908!(The Eagle Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 25--It's T time in Richmond, Ind., this week. Ford Motor Co. officials and thousands of automobile enthusiasts from around the world are gathering at the county fairgrounds for the centennial celebration of the Model T. The first Ford Model T, a 1909 model, rolled off the assembly line in 1908. The car was in production through 1927 and came in a variety of versions, all of which are sure to be on display at the 2008 "T-Party." Among them will be a 1913 Model T touring car owned by College Station businessman Jim Singleton and his wife, Stephanie Sale. On Thursday, the couple joined nearly 1,000 other Model T owners in a parade through downtown Richmond in an effort to set a Guinness world record for the longest line of cars of one model. The gathering, which continues through Saturday, is expected to be the largest gathering of Model T's. There are car shows, swap meets, historical re-enactments and, of course, T-shirts. Singleton said he had always wanted an old car, and when a Model T repair business opened across the street from his house, he took it as a sign. "I just had to get one," he said. With the help of Ben Hardeman, the owner of Texas Model T&A Parts, Singleton found the car he wanted in Albany, N.Y. Singleton has had the car for three years, and it suits him to a -- well, you know. He and his wife deck it out in poinsettias for the annual Christmas parade. "We've proclaimed ourselves the official 'Poinsettias Delivery Car,'" Singleton said. Ford produced more than 15 million Tin Lizzies, as the car has come to be called, and most of those were black. "Henry Ford said that black paint dried faster," Singleton said. "I don't know if it does, but maybe he was on to something there." Singleton said he was looking forward to meeting fellow enthusiasts and seeing all of the cars together. "They really are icons of our history," Singleton said. "It's a reminder of good old times and how things were 100 years ago." --Selena Hernandez's e-mail address is [email protected]. To see more of The Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theeagle.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Eagle, Bryan, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |