Klingberg Auto Show

We are pleased to announce that Dave & Sue Salonia of Dave Salonia Productions will be donating their talent to this year’s show as a Silver Sponsor.

Some people might just chalk it up to “fate,” but we think being introduced to Dave and Susan Salonia in the summer of 1993 was part of a much bigger plan. That spring, Susan had contacted the Development Office at Klingberg Family Centers after having a dream inspiring her to make Easter baskets for the children living here on campus. One thing led to another, and before she knew it, Susan was serving on a newly formed committee to plan our agency’s 90^th Anniversary celebration. Klingberg President, Rosemarie Burton suggested we have several antique cars on display to add to the festivity. Within a matter of days, the event morphed into planning our very first Antique Auto Show. And, oh, by the way, Susan just so happened to be married to a popular DJ.  The rest is history, as they say.

Beyond being a gifted DJ and announcer, Dave Salonia immediately got into the groove of helping to manage the auto show from his perch atop a flatbed truck that first year. There was no doubt from that time forward, we never wanted to hold an Auto Show without Dave in control of the mike. In his role, he does so much more than spin records (play CDs). Sponsor commercials, special announcements and giving voice to the trophy presentations throughout the day makes for a pretty hectic schedule—that Dave juggles with professionalism and a positive attitude. Dave’s enthusiasm, his understanding of the mission of Klingberg Family Centers and the experience he has gained serving at the “hub” of the show every year are irreplaceable.

That could be because he has been doing what he does so well for decades. Dave’s extensive background in radio, and in livening up all kinds of events from weddings and proms to large corporate affairs is evident the minute his smooth cheerful voice is transmitted through a microphone. Known as Davy Jay in the DJ world, his services are always in demand for get togethers of every type and size.

By day, he is a mild-mannered technology instructor at Berlin High School. By night, the husband, and dad of two grown girls brings the house down (in the best sense of the phrase) at gatherings across the state. To contact Dave, please visit dsalonia@comcast.net.

One of the special features within the auto show on October 18th will be a display of “green cars.”  Today, with the rising price of oil, automobile manufactures are rushing to design and produce new “green cars,” cars with alternate fuel sources such as electricity or hydrogen fuel cells. Most people are unaware that over 100 years ago, more than a one hundred automobile manufactures produced electric and steam cars utilizing little or no gasoline. It was a time when the automobile industry was unsure which direct it was going, whether automobiles be powered by steam, electric or gasoline?  One of the reasons the gasoline engine became the fuel of choice was due to the fact it was so inexpensive. But history shows that the technology for automobiles powered by sources other than gasoline was developed and these automobiles were produced a hundred years ago. Thus, at the auto show in October we will have several of the early green cars on display along with examples of today’s technology. The photograph is of a 1919 Detroit Electric Automobile used with permission from conceptcarz.com.