BY LANCE GAITHER

lance.gaither@bluegrasnewsmedia.com

On Tuesday, the Hupmobile Club rolled through Danville during its Runnin’ Through the Bluegrass tour to take in some of the local history and visit Constitution Square.

Founded in 1970, the Virginia-based club is dedicated to preserving the Hupmobile, which was in production from 1908 to 1941.   

“We each pick our area, so I chose the theme Runnin’ Through the Bluegrass,” said Brenda Majorowski who, with her husband, is hosting this year’s meet. “We take in small towns, that is what we like to do. The main point of our group is that we want to drive our cars, not just show them. We are out in the fields and on the back roads. This is about driving and having a good time.”

The group had members from across the nation who aren’t afraid to rack up the miles on the odometer. According to its website, the club’s officers alone hail from five different states.   

“We have members from Canada all the way to Florida, We are from all over.” Majorowski said. “Today is Day 56. We went 125 miles yesterday. Each day attrition on the cars is pretty bad. Sometimes we take a bus to let everything cool down. We have a flatbed with a winch that can recover the poor guy who didn’t make it. It will take them back to the trailer at the hotel where we can try and fix it. There are a lot of minds with a lot of knowledge.”

It is a labor of love to keep the Hupmobiles running.

“Some people have taken three cars and made one. One gentlemen has his grandfather’s car and is the second owner,” Majorowski said. “There are no replacement parts basically. The cars were shipped overseas so sometimes you can find parts that way. The last parts we got came from Australia. We have the blueprints which is a godsend. Sometimes we have to find a machine shop that can make them for us, it is not cheap. We have to be careful when we park them, people like to take souvenirs off the cars which can’t be replaced. I don’t think they realize that. They have good motors, when they break down you rework them and get them running again. You learn where every nut and bolt is on the car.”

After visiting Danville, Majorwoski said she knew it would a perfect stop for the club.

“I happened to see a folder about the town, and I came in and the people were so nice,” Majorowski said. “I enjoyed everything I saw and thought it would be perfect for our group, so here we are. The road we were going to come in on, the city had a truck that was going to be working on something. I said that we had 33 cars coming on and they said they would clear the way for us. Nobody every does that. It is a lovely town, and we are glad to be here.”