On Thursday, May 20 the Hawk A Model A Ford Club visited Kalona, driving through town in over a dozen antique cars dating back to the late 1920s and early 1930s.
“Kalona is a good Model A …
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On Thursday, May 20 the Hawk A Model A Ford Club visited Kalona, driving through town in over a dozen antique cars dating back to the late 1920s and early 1930s.
“Kalona is a good Model A town,” said organizer Bruce Nielson. When asked what made the town good for the antique cars, he said, “the quality of the people here and that it’s kind of a boutique-y place. Plus, I think we mix with the buggies pretty good.”
Based in Cedar Rapids, the Hawk A Model A Club is a local chapter of the Model A Restorer Club and was organized in 1971 with 35 members. The club now boasts over 160 members with as many as 80 showing up for any given event.
The Kalona tour was the club’s first tour of the summer season, and the first in over a year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Nielson said he was very pleased with the turnout in Kalona, saying it was likely a mixture of Kalona being a popular spot for the club and it being the first event in a long time.
The drivers parked their cars at the Historical Village, where they spent time touring the facility. Then they went down Highway 1, visiting the cheese factory and Stringtown Grocery before a photo-op at the Mennonite church. Then, the club enjoyed a meal at Ila Miller’s, where a famous Model T enthusiast gave a presentation while they were eating.
Nielson, 77, said he became interested in Model As during high school and the interest has never left him since.
“I’m a typical Model A collector,” he said. “I had one in high school and wished that I could make it so that it was better. Everybody I know that’s in the club is in that same mold — they had some exposure to it when they were younger.”
The Hawk A Club is an opportunity for the Model A lovers to gather and share their vehicles, but also provides important resources for repairing and renovating the antique vehicles.
“That thing that’s really great about Model As is that they’re so simple,” Nielson said. “You can do just about everything yourself.”
As Nielson stood outside the historical village, surrounded by Model As all nearly 100 years old, he said he was blown away by the turnout for the Kalona tour.
“This is so popular,” he said. “We’ve sure got a lot of people out today.”
