Geri Hidy Memorial Tour for Model T?s starts Friday

Skeeter Hidy of Batavia is taking a ride to observe the first anniversary of his wife Geri?s death last October.

But the Geri Hidy Memorial Tour Friday, Saturday and Sunday is no ordinary outing. Skeeter Hidy and about 20 to 25 Model T?s from the Iliamo Ford Model T Club will be setting out on three trips from Fairfield over the weekend.

?It?s just something I wanted to do,? said Hidy.

Friday afternoon?s outing will take the Model T?s to Pleasant Plain, Packwood, Brookville, Batavia, Libertyville and back to Fairfield. Fesler Auto Mall will host a reception for the drivers and vehicles from 5 to 7 p.m.

The trip Saturday heads out Glasgow Road to Morris Park in Stockport and lunch in Bonaparte. Then it?s Bentonsport, Keosauqua, Lebanon, Douds, Libertyville and another night in Fairfield.

Sunday morning, the group heads out on the Salina Road to Germanville and Brighton before taking the Pleasant Plain Road back to Fairfield.

Hidy said club members come from Iowa, Illinois and Missouri to take part in the Model T rides. The Ford Model T was manufactured from 1909 to 1927. A few Model A?s, made from 1928 through 1931, will also be along for the ride.

Hidy?s ride will be a 1916 ?depot hack? which he calls the hotel limousine of the day. He said the vehicle took travelers from a train station to a hotel.

Tuesday evening, Hidy took his Model T out for a spin, but only after a number of not-so-gentle kicks with his foot on the front crank.

?It?s safer to use your foot, and it?s a lot stronger than trying to crank by hand,? he said.

The Model T is pretty much open to the elements. Tuesday afternoon?s cool, breezy winds and a few raindrops made the short ride even more of a challenge.

?I?ll get that,? said Hidy after his ball cap blew out the back and he pulled to a stop.

The weather forecast for the weekend includes some precipitation. But judging from Hidy?s resilience with Tuesday?s weather, that shouldn?t be much of a problem.