Last week, I took a little time off. Although social media never sleeps, I was determined to shove into one week everything that I should have been doing with my son all summer. That translated to lunch out, a pirate ship cruise, and dinner at McDonald’s. And I did it all in one day.
But oh the memories we made on that one day.
Still, though, I felt like a failure because we live only about 90 minutes or so from Hersheypark and while he had been asking to go all summer, I never actually planned the trip. It was always something with the dogs or the weather or work schedules. And I kept wondering how we would cram in this last minute fun before school started.
Enter Chevrolet.
Yes, that Chevrolet. Better known as Chevy. Better known in my mind for fleet cars and pick-up trucks. But I had so much to learn.
Chevy invited me to attend a weekend with my family in Hershey.
I know, right? Could the timing have been more perfect?
And yet, it got even more perfect. Chevy was inviting me and my family to drive up to the Harrisburg area for an evening reception at one of the few female-owned Chevy dealerships, attend a Chevy ride and drive event, and spend the day at Hersheypark.
But wait! There’s more!
They provided hotel and transportation… in the form of a brand new Chevy Impala!
They delivered a Crystal Red LTZ, which basically means a top of the line EVERYTHING. Leather seats, heated and cooled, nav, weather, XM radio, parking assist, Bose stereo, dual pane sunroof, 20″ tires, and over 300hp. I just have to say this: it was a pretty sweet ride.
Let me give you a quick recap from the weekend with mostly pictures and very few words.
We met Ronda Lawrence Scullen, owner of Lawrence Chevrolet in Mechanicsburg, PA. Lawrence Chevrolet was a dealership founded by her father in 1980 and in 2012, she took the reins as dealer and president. What I liked about Ronda is that while she grew up in the car business, it wasn’t her background when she decided to step in. She studied like anyone would when embarking on a new career and now brings innovation, especially to the female car-buying experience. I’m hoping to have a chance in the future to shadow Ronda to see what a day in the life is really like.
In addition to Ronda, we were wowed by another woman, April Wilde, a GM spitfire originally from South Carolina now living in my neck of the woods who talked about all things OnStar.
Apparently it’s been a while since I read up on OnStar. Not only is OnStar used more like a virtual assistant these days but the RemoteLink app lets you start and stop your car, send directions from your computer to your nav, and check on maintenance thing all from the comfort of the electronic device of your choosing.
We left with a little Chevy goodie bag and headed to our hotel for the night before our early morning breakfast (yes, 8am is early for me). We caravaned over to Hersheypark and made our way to the VIP parking next to the Chevy Ride and Drive event in the parking lot of Hersheypark. Chevy has been a longtime partner with Hershey and came up with the idea of giving people a chance to drive cars right there in the parking lot. I like to think of it as a thrill ride for the grown-ups.
It was pretty obvious that most of the thrill seekers where there for the Chevy Camaro. While it’s never been one of my personal favorites, I had to give the V8 manual transmission a quick spin. While I had hoped to wow my husband (and the crowd) with my driving skills, I drove about as fast as a grandma and only stalled twice. D’oh! But I looked good.
While it was a public event, we got the VIP treatment when Dan Adamcheck, GM’s Regional Sales & Marketing Manager, gave us a quick intro to everything we were seeing. I even caught Dan out “in the field” when I took the Chevy Volt for a spin. Even though I had driven one before, I was able to grill Dan a bit more on the technology since I now personally drive a hybrid. It’s more than I remembered: smooth, zippy, quiet, and frankly, just fun to drive.
While Dan had me all to himself, he didn’t send me back in line but instead offered up any car I wanted to drive. So I took him up on it.
The Traverse: Big, bad, super comfy, and fun to drive. Why do small people love to drive big vehicles?
The Cruze: This one’s a diesel. Sounds like a diesel but doesn’t smell like one. And has fuel economy that would make you weep.
The Sonic: My favorite car that I would never buy. It’s too small for me but it’s roomy, zippy, and super fun to drive. Seriously.
The Spark: A very cute, very small car. I’m clearly not the target market but for the urban driver, I bet parallel parking is a breeze.
And then what happened? Then I saw the look on my 6 year old’s face when he realized Mommy went to test drive one car and instead drove five. I made this kid sit right outside the gates of Hersheypark in sun while I drove cars. So I said farewell to Dan and we spent the rest of the day indulging in chocolate.
From Hershey’s Chocolate World (still our favorite)…
To the famous Kissing Tower…
Where we look at all the coasters we would never ride…
To a quick pose with a very feminine Hershey’s kiss…
We had a very, very sweet weekend and even brought home the bounty to prove it.
Thanks to Chevrolet for sponsoring a fun-filled weekend with my family that made me look like the best mom ever!
3 comments
Whaaaa? Do I see PEANUT BUTTER WHOPPERS?
Ha! Hershey is in our very near future. I just wish a new car was for me. That Impala is calling my name.
They picked it up yesterday and I wiped away a wistful tear as it left my driveway.
And YES – peanut butter whoppers!!! That’s why I had to buy them!
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