"The Automobile is the Art"
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News & Views for the Car Enthusiast! | |
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From the Desk of Darrel Burnett
Executive Director
Goodbye Gunner
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There is a big hole in the world today….and thus begins a new month of September and the story of one of the most fascinating and accomplished men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. John Gunnell or Gunner, as his friends knew him, passed away August 24th at the age of 75. Most stories would naturally end there, this one is just beginning.
I admiringly refer to Gunner as the “Hemingway of Horsepower.” He even sported a Hemingway-esque white beard giving him an advanced air of sophistication. Like Gunner, what Hemingway wrote was brilliant, but while Hemingway only wrote when he felt like it, 15 books in his lifetime, Gunner wrote as if his next breath depended on it. A yellow legal pad and pen were part of his wardrobe. Gunner published 77 books that I know of. It might have been well over 100. He also wrote thousands of articles for prestigious automotive publications around the world, among them Collectible Automobile, Old Cars, Muscle Car Plus, and Wheels of Time. When he left us, Gunner was still a regular contributor to no fewer than 12 national magazines. If it had wheels and a reason for existing then John Gunnell wrote about it.
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Even as the print world shriveled, Gunner became more prolific and enterprising by plying his trade in the online world.
Growing up in Staten Island, New York, John loved telling me stories about being a young boy in the early 1960s and taking the Staten Island Ferry and a couple of busses every day to attend prestigious Brooklyn Tech High School. Facing the dangers of New York City at that age made him fearless and fueled a sense of adventure that transformed him into a world traveler. His art education at Brooklyn Tech led to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Richmond College on Staten Island. While his education was steering him toward a career in art, his heart was steering him in a completely different direction. I will let John tell you in his owns words.
My brother and I had steering wheels with rubber suction cups that stuck to the inside of the rear side windows. So, we would "drive" the family’s ’37 Plymouth standing up in the back passenger compartment and go flying every time Mom made the car buck or stall. And somehow we survived! Every once in a while, the car would also spark under the dashboard and fill the cabin with smoke and dad would have to take a wire brush and scrape connections until the smoke stopped.
In this case where there was smoke there was fire, a fire that burned deep within Gunner that fueled his passion for automobiles. He devoured car magazines and stories about car museums. Writing a car club newsletter in 1972 led to a series of jobs in NYC until he got his big break with Publisher Chet Krause and Old Cars Weekly in 1978. Even after a half century of building an unparalleled writing resume, Gunner’s flame burned with intensity right to the end. Along the way, he became an appraiser, a restorer, historian of record and, yes, even a painter of beautiful Wisconsin scenery. Most of all, he became my dear friend and I will be forever a better person because of him. For a man who wrote millions of words in his career, it is only fitting that the last words should be his from a recent email he sent me. R.I.P. (Ride in Peace) my friend!
I moved to a $125-a-month farm in Iola and became a country boy. Even joined the Volunteer Fire Dept. and took my EMT/ambulance training. The rest is history.
John Gunnell
1947 - 2023
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Don’t miss Darrel Burnett’s Steering Column coming to an inbox near you on the 15th…
The Pure Blue – Pure Porsche 2011 Speedster!
If you aren't signed up for it, click HERE (then scroll to the bottom of the page)
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See this exclusive Porsche Speedster and more than 100 other fantastic German cars at AUTOberfest
September 30th, 2-6p.m.
Click HERE to attend!
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If you would like to show your German car at AUTOberfest contact Executive Director Darrel Burnett at darrelb@theautomobilegallery.org as a few spaces remain! | |
Start your engines and drive down to the Gallery for Cruisin' to the Classics, an incredible car-themed Daddy D's concert! You'll hear all your favorite car cruising songs paired with fun humor, all set within a space filled with beautiful classic cars!
To get tickets, click HERE.
Tickets are only $33 per person with $3 discounts for seniors, veterans, and children under 18.
When: September 14 @ 5p
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Straight from the files of “You have to start somewhere” our researchers at The Automobile Gallery & Event Center are excited to share this fascinating and fun car fact. It was exactly 138 years ago next Tuesday, September 5th, 1885 that Sylvanus Bowser invented the first gasoline pump in the world in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since organized production of the automobile wouldn’t come about until the following year when Karl Benz of Mercedes Benz fame was given credit for developing the first automobile for the masses in 1886, we would like to congratulation Mr. Bowser for being a man far ahead of his time. We understand Mr. Bowser delivered his first gas pump to a local grocery store using……a horse and wagon. We think that’s a gas!
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Best Art Gallery Award
The Automobile Gallery & Event Center continues to strive every day to give you and our visitors from around the world a world class experience. We’re honored and
humbled when our efforts are recognized. Being selected as a 2023 Best of the Bay recipient is a result of our never ending quest to be the best. Thank you for making us the best we can be!
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The Automobile Gallery & Event Center is so excited to welcome more and more visitors from all over the world. We’re thrilled to introduce you to our new friends who recently stopped in to see us! | |
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Ireland
Des and Aiden Cassidy recently visited the Gallery from County Laois, Ireland. Aiden is a pilot who flew in for the Experimental Aircraft Association event in nearby Oshkosh, WI recently. The Cassidy’s hometown of County Laois is named for a medieval kingdom and has become a popular home for Ireland’s residents with the population doubling in the last 20 years.
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Poland
This is their 5th trip to the U.S. for our friends from Poland, Tomasz Fratczak and Szymon Pura. These adventurous friends rode their motorcycles from Chicago to Green Bay to pay us a visit.
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Denmark
Mathilde Jensen and Martin Poulsen were on a 3-week road trip of the U.S. when they made the Gallery a must-see experience. In true American style, our Danish friends rented a Mustang for the trip.
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Germany
Christian Marquardt and Nadine Ret from Germany stopped as part of their 6-month road trip to North America. Christian and Nadine went all out and shipped their VW California to Nova Scotia and then drove down the east coast of the United States. From there they hopped over to the west coast, ferried to Alaska, and stopped in Green Bay to tour The Automobile Gallery & Event Center as they circled the Great Lakes. What a trip and what a wonderful couple!
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Germany
Maximilian Rank from the Frankfurt, Germany area celebrated his arrival in the U.S. by visiting The Automobile Gallery & Event Center. Maximilian is a real car guy who is currently restoring a 1st year, 1976 Porsche 924 back in Germany, but he’s taking a break to study Digital Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for a semester before returning home. Welcome Maximilian!
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Australia
Jo, John, Adrian, and Kim win the award for traveling the farthest this month. They covered 9800 miles from their home in Australia! Adrian and Kim’s son recently played in the International Softball Congress (ISC) Men’s Fastpitch Softball World Championship in Denmark, WI. Borrowing from our softball brethren, we hope the Gallery was a big hit with our friends from Australia!
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Viet Nam
Father and son Hoang Quang Nhuan (Left) and Hoang Quanginh (Right) from Ho Chi Minh City Viet Nam traveled a great distance as well, more than 8500 miles from their home in Ho Chi Minh City which has a population of 9 million people, another 500,000 more than New York City!
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Belgium
Race fans Jean-Noel Fondue, Pol, and Brigitte Duliere paid the Gallery a visit from the French speaking part of Belgium, just about 60 miles from Brussels. Their adventure began in Indianapolis where they attended NASCAR and Indy Car races before ending their American adventure by circling the Great Lakes.
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Unlimited Gallery Access!
Read below to find out how
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Be a part of the Gallery community and support your favorite Downtown Green Bay entertainment site with a personal membership!
All memberships include:
- Unlimited Gallery visits for an entire year
- Discounts on all gift shop purchases
- Discounts on special events
- Early ticket sales for special openings and special events
We have memberships to suit every interest too!
Personal, dual, family, grandparent, or friend of the Gallery.
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GET INVOLVED!
Opportunities at the Gallery
If you or anyone you know would like to be involved with the Gallery, we have opportunities available:
Volunteers to staff events, maintain the vehicles and Gallery, and educate guests
If interested in any mentioned role, please email Megan Lehmann at MeganL@theautomobilegallery.org
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Google Reviews - We'd love yours!
The Automobile Gallery & Event Center is already on most Top 10 Lists for great things to do in Northeastern Wisconsin, now you can help even more visitors find us by giving us a great Google review.
CLICK HERE to leave your review.
It's that easy! Thank you for your time and review - it means a lot to us!
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CARes for the Community comes to The Automobile Gallery & Event Center!
Our area leaders have generously allowed us to display their extraordinary vehicles all in the name of raising money for our area's youth services.
If you're interested in participating, contact us at inquire@theautomobilegallery.org!
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The Automobile Gallery is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the enjoyment and enrichment of our visitors and community. Becoming a member of The Automobile Gallery helps support its mission, which in part is to educate, inspire and sharing the passion of the automobile with others. Through the generosity of memberships, donations, admissions, and event income, the Automobile Gallery will continue for generations to come as one of the finest galleries of its kind in the country.
You may support The Automobile Gallery by making a gift to our endowment fund. This endowment will provide funding in perpetuity for the Gallery to serve the community through various educational programs, exhibits, and interactive learning environments to teach the history of the American Automobile.
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Grant De Broux
Joe Griffiths & Family
Michael Sullivan &M2Logistics
Keith Obermiller & Family
Tom & Dawn Olejniczak
Jeff Tyndall
Ashok Rai & Family
Bob & Jolyce Rupp
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Joyce-Lyn & Steve Altieri
Brent Baker
James Bednarowski
Christopher Boland
Ann & Steve Bradford
Kaleb Cieslewicz
Joel Hensley & Bridget Kelley-Hensley
David Loppnow
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Contemporary Automobile Gallery and Event Venue Where
"The Automobile is the Art"
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Gallery open 9:00am - 3:00pm daily, hours subject to change.
*Prepurchase Tickets and Gift Certificates Available*
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