‘Americana at its finest’: Silver in the City returns to York
YORK, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Airstream owners from across the country gathered in York, South Carolina for the 7th Annual Silver in the City.
Airstream Club members from Clover to California to Canada parked their trailers along North Congress Street on April 12–14.
Terry Montgomery and John Leake with the Palmetto State Airstream Club organized the event.
“It’s Americana at its finest,” said Montgomery. “We might meet somebody from Canada or New Hampshire or California, but probably not on Main Street in York.”
Many are drawn to the iconic shape of the Airstream trailers, first released in 1931.
“We got a 1959 model here that looks almost like a 2024 model. That makes them special,” said Leake. “It’s kind of like baseball and apple pie, just part of America.”
City officials said the residents and nearby business owners really embrace the event.
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“Our downtown business and our restaurants and organizations and churches have coordinating events going on all weekend,” said Chloe Jones, York’s community event coordinator. “They have entertainment, comedy shows and cigar smoke sessions. There are spring markets where you can get fun little goodies and antiques and stuff like that.”
York Mayor Mike Fuesser said Silver in the City is becoming one of York’s signature events and is a great kickoff for the season’s outdoor festivals. He said the Airstream crowd is a perfect fit for the city.
“They’re down to earth, genuine people. That’s what the city of York is. It’s a down-to-earth town, genuine town,” Fuesser said.
Organizers said in its seventh year, the draw of the event has gotten so large that they now have to turn some trailer owners away. This year, they have about 65 trailers and RVs. They said they need to keep the event’s logistics manageable, but they love knowing the interest is out there.
“It could grow out of control if we let it,” said Leake.
“If it was three miles long, we’d like to think we could fill it up, but we’ve got a block,” said Montgomery.
Many younger individuals are joining Airstream clubs. Some are attracted to the low-cost, flexible travel options; others say they became interested during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re always happy to have the younger generation because we need them to keep this thing going,” said Leake.
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Though the Airstream owners come from all over the country, from all different backgrounds, and with all different destinations, they find common ground on the road.
“With the trailer comes a family,” said Leake.
Silver in the City runs through Sunday, April 14.
City coordinators said they’re already looking to lock down dates for the event next year.
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