By Jessica Kenley | Monarch Media

Some people leave behind photographs.

Some leave behind stories.

And some leave behind a love so deeply rooted in the people they raised that it continues long after they are gone.

For Paul Keller’s family, and the Coudersport Car Show Board, that legacy came in the form of old cars, family stories, a corn cob pipe, and the memories of a man everybody knew simply as “Papa.”

Tomorrow, Saturday, September 26, the Coudersport Falling Leaves Outdoor Antique Car and Truck Show will take on an especially meaningful purpose as Jessica Cornelius, and the rest of the family honor her father, Paul Keller, with a memorial trophy bearing his name.

The free-admission show will be held at the Coudersport Consistory, beginning at 9 a.m., as part of the Coudersport Falling Leaves Festival. The memorial plaque in memory of Paul “Papa” Keller will be presented at approximately 2:15 p.m., followed by the Falling Leaves Festival parade at 3 p.m.

But for Paul’s family, tomorrow isn’t simply another car show.

It is a way of bringing Papa back into the place where he always belonged—with family, with stories, and surrounded by old cars.

It started with Papa

Paul Keller loved old cars, he loved coming to car shows, he loved talking about cars, he loved looking at cars, he loved helping behind the scenes of the car shows, and years ago, he even had several–what we would call “antique”–cars of his own.

If, at any time, somebody was working in the garage on a car, Papa would be right there, tool in hand, to lend help and advice.

Of course, what we call antique cars today were just part of Keller’s everyday life in the 1950s and 60s.

Keller’s passion for the old-style cars never died as he got older.

He was very enthusiastic with sharing stories about the old cars he used to own, remembering in great detail the tales of his interesting–to say the least–younger years.

Every “antique” car had a story, and some of them had several stories.

Keller’s enthusiasm eventually became part of his entire family’s life as well. Today, Paul’s family is behind the Coudersport car shows, bringing antique vehicles and their owners together from places far beyond Potter County.

The family connection runs deep enough that the whole family has heard the stories, too.

Her son, Scott Cornelius, remembered his grandfather as a man who could be nice and funny, although he could also be a little “snappy,” at times, he added with a laugh.

And, of course, there were more than enough car stories.

One story involves a little two-door coupe weighing roughly 2,400 pounds and the decision to put a big V8 engine into it—a project involving a $75 car and an $200 motor.

It was the kind of story that says quite a bit about Papa Keller.

He loved cars.

He loved making them go.

And apparently, he wasn’t always concerned about whether the amount of money being poured into an old car made perfect financial sense.

That particular trait may have been passed down, too.

Family members have joked with Cornelius about her own tendency to put more money into cars than she probably should.

The response?

“It’s in your blood. You can’t help it,” she said with a smile and a tilt of her head.

And perhaps that’s exactly the point.

More than automobiles

For families who have spent years around antique cars, the vehicles themselves become much more than machines.

They become photographs of a particular time in life.

They become stories.

They become the places where fathers taught daughters, where grandparents entertained grandchildren, and where generations learned that sometimes the most important part of an old car isn’t what is underneath the hood—but who stood beside it.

Cornelius still has pieces of her father’s life that she treasures.

Among them is his corn cob pipe and one of his lighters, carefully preserved as keepsakes.

It is a small, ordinary object—but to a daughter remembering her father, it is anything but ordinary.

She also keeps photographs of him, including one she planned to bring along for the family as they gathered to remember him, and another one of which is him mowing his beloved St. Eulalia Cemetery, where he is buried.

Since Papa’s passing, his family has found ways to keep those memories present, like playing pool together and sharing “Papa Stories” about the old cars, and the labor of love that went into each individual car.

Tomorrow, one of those memories will be displayed for everyone to see.

A Plaque for Papa

The memorial plaque being presented tomorrow carries the words “In Memory of Paul ‘Papa’ Keller.”

It is a fitting tribute for a man whose love of antique automobiles helped shape his family’s passion for old cars and ultimately helped lead to the car shows that continue to be organized today.

And there may be no better setting for that tribute than the Coudersport Falling Leaves Festival.

As antique cars and trucks arrive from across the area, the show will offer the community an opportunity to admire beautifully preserved and restored vehicles—but also to celebrate the people and stories behind them.

Admission is free, making tomorrow’s show an easy stop for anyone enjoying Falling Leaves Festival activities.

Come for the cars.

Stay for the stories.

And, if you happen to see Paul Keller’s family standing around the registration tent, take a moment to ask about “Papa.”

Because sometimes the best way to remember someone isn’t by simply saying their name.

It’s by continuing the things they loved.

TOMORROW: Coudersport Falling Leaves Outdoor Antique Car and Truck Show

📍 Coudersport Consistory
🕘 Show begins: 9 a.m.
🎟️ Admission: FREE
🏆 Memorial plaque honoring Paul “Papa” Keller: approximately 2:15 p.m.
🎺 Falling Leaves Festival Parade: 3 p.m.

Bring the family, walk among the antique cars and trucks, meet the people who keep these pieces of automotive history alive—and help the Keller family celebrate the memory of a man whose love of old cars became part of the whole family’s lives.

Tomorrow promises to be a beautiful Fall day filled with old cars, family memories, music, community, and the unmistakable feeling of autumn settling over Coudersport.

For Paul “Papa” Keller, it will be a celebration of a life and a love that clearly isn’t going anywhere.