Welcome to the Venice Florida Region of the AACA
We are a local club that promotes and educates our community on the history, value, and beauty that collector cars have on our society. Most of us own and show our cars, while others just enjoy antique and classic cars.
Our aim is to foster camaraderie, sportsmanship and goodwill among members and the local community with activities that raise funds to support our local charities.
Our region is a member of The Antique Automobile Club of America International. The Venice Region is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) Corporation in the State of Florida and with the IRS, which allows your contributions to be tax deductible.
Our major fundraising event is an Annual Car Show that has been held at Centennial Park in Venice since 1987. We award trophies, give door prizes, and provide entertainment for spectators and participants. The proceeds from this show fund the Venice AACA Scholarship Fund, which has provided scholarships to graduating Seniors of Venice High School. We also contribute to a number of local charities, made possible through the support of our many business partners in the community.
We are a proud affiliate of the Venice Chamber Of Commerce and a Venice MainStreet partner for more than 30 years.
History Of Our Club
The Venice Region AACA was founded by six interested individuals who were antique car enthusiasts looking for fellowship and good times for themselves and their wives. Their favorite pastime, besides antique cars, was looking for good restaurants to enjoy. That all started on November 8, 1987 and was the brainchild of George Youngberg, Steve Koss, Floyd Davis, Ray Lindauer, George Kernighan and Frank Taliarico. At that time, an election was held and three officers were appointed. They were George Youngberg -President, Floyd Davis-Vice President and Ray Lindauer as Secretary/Treasurer. Two months after being established, the club applied for charter status and to affiliate with the Royal Palm Region AACA.
Six Months after they started, Ed McDonald of Venice joined and was in charge of caravan tours. Ed proceeded to arrange the first tour to the Gamble Plantation in Palmetto. In 1990 Ed proceeded to spearhead the clubs scholarship program and was elected president in 1991. In August of 1998, the fledgling club transferred it’s affiliation from Royal Palm Chapter to Lemon Bay Chapter AACA and remained there for five years before they broke away and received there own charter.
In the early days, the first club meeting was held in the parking lot of the Venice Library. There after, monthly meetings were held at the Venice Public Library where, in exchange for a meeting room, they provided a free subscription to Hemming Motor News and Antique Car Magazine plus some fund raising to help Friends of the Library and initially raised enough to donate $500 per year. Around the turn of the century the meetings were moved to The Venice Municipal Complex and moved once again in 2011 to Venice Garden Civic Center as membership grew.
The first Venice AACA car show was held at The Venice Public Parking Lot of the library August 1989. In October of 1990 the Venice AACA Car Show was held in conjunction with the Sun Fiesta Air and Car Show. The next year they moved the car show to First National Bank Parking Complex . At some point in the mid-90’s the car show was moved to its current home in downtown Venice at Centennial Park and The Gazebo where it still exists today..
The club has focused for years on providing scholarships to graduating seniors of Venice High School starting out with it’s first scholarship of $500 to 2017 when seven students benefited from $1,000 scholarships each. Other charitable donations were to Big Brothers and Sisters.
Benefits Of Club Membership
Throughout the year, our members enjoy participating in such activities as parades, organized car shows, monthly club meetings, a Christmas party, “Breakfast at the Beach”, pot-luck suppers, car caravan tours, and community activities. Our meetings and local events enable our members to make friends and have fun while they enjoy their classic cars.
Monthly Club Meeting
We conduct monthly business, and enjoy an interesting program related to club functions and automotive history. They are held on the 2nd Monday at 7PM at the Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Avenue South, Venice, FL 34285.
Monthly Club Lunch
This is an opportunity to meet socially and share our interest and knowledge related to our antique vehicles. It’s a great place to meet other members and share stories about that car you wish you’d never sold.
Monthly Club Tour
Drive your classic vehicle or regular driver on a tour to an interesting location selected by our Tour Directors. Each tour features a chance to experience a unique piece of beautiful southwest Florida. And join other club members at our 2 monthly cruise-ins. See the Events tab for details.
Annual Car Show
Held in downtown Venice, this show has been a major attraction in the area since 1987 and draws over 300 antique vehicles as well as an estimated crowd of over 20,000 spectators. Over 100 trophies in 30 car classes are awarded.
Monthly Club Newsletter
The Owner’s Manual, our monthly club newsletter, is filled with information about our club events, other events in the area, interesting automotive history information, and links to collector car service providers in the area.