Paris, Maine Founder’s Day Classic Car Exhibit

The showpiece of the charity event is The Bahre Collection of antique and Classic cars. The collection, housed at the birthplace of Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln’s first vice-president, is open once a year to the public at the Founder’s Day event.

The collection of over fifty vehicles includes one of the world’s finest assemblages of Packards. The Packard collection features Dietrich V-windshield body styles and LeBaron V-windshield body styles on the Packard 12 chassis for 1932-34, the one-off front-wheel-drive prototype sedan, a 1906 Model S touring car and other specialty Packards.

The collection highlights American Classics such as Duesenbergs, Cadillac, Stutz, and Graham-Paige; foreign Classics such as Delahaye, Isotta Fraschini, Hispano-Suiza, Mercedes-Benz and Alfa-Romeo; and an eclectic grouping of brass-era cars (including two electric cars), a Tucker, a Harley-Davidson, the original Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang II from 1921, and later-model sports cars. Along with the vehicles there is an antique doll and toy collection, horse-drawn carriages, player pianos, old phonographs, table-top instruments and a jukebox.

Founder’s Day festivities include a crafts fair, and food vendors. The charity event is scheduled for Saturday July 18th, 2025 from 9 am to 5 pm on the Paris Hill Green, rain or shine. Donations for admission to The Bahre Collection are $15 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. All proceeds from admissions will support the Hamlin Memorial Library and Museum.

Further information is available from the Hamlin Memorial Library at [email protected], by phone at 207-743-2980, or online at www.hamlin.lib.me.us.