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Fairgoers were treated to a flash from the past Thursday at the Antique Car Parade to celebrate Old Fashioned Day. The parade featured cars dating back as far as 1915 -- a black Ford Model T Runabout -- as well as one woman old enough to remember when that car was introduced. Irene Palmer, 103, rode in a 1974 Buick Century after sitting on the sidelines watching the parade for decades. "It's a big family event. Every year we like to come up and see the old cars," said Theresa Ratajczak, Palmer's granddaughter. She said her cousin, aunt and uncle have all entered cars in the parade in the past and that her family travels from Baltimore every year to watch. Other parade participants had family ties as well. Amy Jo Poffenberger drove her 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, which she saw in her grandfather's lot when she was 7 years old and said she would own someday. In addition to the contestants having personal ties to the parade, those in the audience took a trip down memory lane as well. The parade lineup was a reminder to Joann and Walter Russell of many of their past cars: The parade included three Ford Model A's, the predecessors to the Model A the Russells bought in 1948, as well as two Volkswagen Beetles, which the Russells bought next. And Ratajczak remembered learning to drive in and wanting to own many of the later-model cars in the parade. "It's been fun to see some of the cars from the '70s, the ones we never thought we'd consider antiques," she said. About 25 cars entered the parade this year, and plaques were given out to the top car for each decade. Winners included a maroon 1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe, a 1950 Chevrolet Powerglide, and the Buick that Palmer rode in.
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