FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Louise Heine
Destination Marketing Director
York County Convention & Visitors Bureau
717-852-9675, ext. 109 or louise@yorkpa.org

Brent Burkey
Communications Specialist
York County Convention & Visitors Bureau
717-852-9675, ext. 103 or bburkey@yorkpa.org


YORK, PA- The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau next week will welcome approximately 1,200 antique trucks and thousands of enthusiasts from as far away as the West Coast for the American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) 2015 National Convention and Truck Show May 28-30 at the York Expo Center.

The event will begin with a grand opening ceremony at 8 a.m. May 28 at the Utz Arena featuring Alex Debogorski, the original ice road trucker, as well as York County Commissioner Doug Hoke and ATHS Chairman John Vannatta.

Following the grand opening, press representatives are invited to stay and attend an informal media briefing with Stormy Wylie, Editor of Wheels of Time, which is ATHS's award-winning magazine.

The event will continue through Saturday and includes a speakers program on topics such as Mack, Navistar, Evolution of American Fire Apparatus and the History of the American Diesel Truck, and Debogorski will be on site during the show giving fans the chance to interact with him, get autographs, pose for photos and ride around the track with him in an International Lone Star Truck.

The show will be open to the public with antique trucks on display across the York Expo Center grounds. Hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are $10 per day for anyone 16 years old and older. Admission for younger attendees is free when accompanied by a paying adult.

"York is a strategically located venue city due to the number of truck enthusiasts and historical collectors of antique trucks who are located within a radius of a few hundred miles," said Don Bretthauer, Executive Director of the American Truck Historical Society. "Many ATHS members will be showing four, five or six trucks from their collections among the nearly 1,200 vehicles expected to be on display over three days across the York Expo Center."

A truck must be at least 25 years old to be considered antique, but all working and show trucks are welcome at the event, which will additionally feature many truck-related vendors selling memorabilia, books and manuals, photos, model trucks, parts and more.

"Next week's exciting American Truck Historical Society National Convention and Truck Show is a big economic win for York County," said Anne Druck, President of the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "And the fact that this event comes amid the USA Team Handball Open Championships earlier this month and the rapidly approaching USA Wrestling Cadet National Duals in June shows the magnitude of the York Expo Center's appeal to a diverse range of national-level events. This broad-based appeal is one of the York County tourism industry's most impactful assets."

The American Truck Historical Society was founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve the history of trucks, the trucking industry and its pioneers. The non-profit group is based in Kansas City, Mo., and has more than 20,000 members worldwide.

The Susquehanna Valley, Baltimore-Washington, Mason-Dixon, Metro Jersey and Shenandoah ATHS chapters are supporting the 2015 convention. There are nearly 100 ATHS-affiliated chapters located in the United States, Canada and Australia providing opportunities for enthusiasts to network with their peers. To learn more about ATHS, go to www.aths.org.

The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau's Mission is to maximize tourism expenditures and their economic impact in York County, PA, through comprehensive tourism sales and marketing programs. The York County CVB's Vision is for a York County where tourism is recognized for the value of its economic impact and its role in raising the profile of York County as a sought-after destination. For more information on the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, call 1-888-858-9675 or visit www.yorkpa.org.