Friday, September 4, 2009

Something fun to do....




If any of y'all get to town early and are looking for something to do on Saturday during the day, there's not going to be many options for entertaining yourself near the farm.


There is however the MicroCar Museum just a few miles away--it's located conveniently between the hotels I've listed below and the farm. We've never been there, but it looks like a fun way to spend an Saturday afternoon. They're open from 10am to 4pm. Admission is $5.


Here's some info:


A Brief History


The microcar, a vehicle born out of need, was a child of its time and became the symbol of a people's spirit.


World War II came to an end in 1945 and Europe lay in ruins. A shell-shocked population came out of the bomb shelters and faced an unimaginable scene of devastation and ruin.
As if the seemingly endless task of clearing away the rubble wasn't enough, there were crippling shortages of food, raw materials, electricity and gas. Value and worth were measured in Chesterfield cigarettes.


The population collectively rolled up its sleeves and went to work. The astonishing rebuilding of an entire continent over a period of ten years was accomplished through a unity of spirit and purpose unimaginable today. Bright, talented engineers, many out of the former aircraft industry, put their minds to the problems of mobilizing the population under adverse conditions. It's said that the true master reveals himself within limitations and so this focusing of energy and talent resulted in an enormous variety of small vehicles; some successful, others less so - but all of them interesting!


The microcar or "bubble car" came to symbolize this period of renewed energy and pulling together.


The bubble car boom lasted only a decade, but the period left a lasting impression even on those who abandoned their Kabinenroller for a "real" car.


The cars continue to be found in barns and collections throughout the world but are particularly meaningful to the Europeans, whose lifestyle was, in part, made possible by these tiny cars.

No comments:

Post a Comment