With the aging of the population, the definition of just what were the "Good Old Days" is undergoing a change. While people used to point to the 1950s, YNN's Bill Carey says the baby boomers are putting their faith in some later decades.

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ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- It draws close to 100,000 people a year to the New York State Fairgrounds.

The Syracuse Nationals offer a glimpse back in time at some of the classic cars of the 50s, 60s and 70s. There are "motorheads" here, for sure. But there are also people like Debbie Cliff, a visitor from Peterboro, Ontario, Canada. Coming here, she says, reminds her of the past.

Cliff said, “Yes, it does.”

“Better time?” our reporter asked.

“Simpler time. Simpler,” Cliff replied.

Sometimes, the right classic car can serve as a fleeting fountain of youth.

“A lot of the older people come to this and they can think back to when they were young,” said David Blake.

Familiar faces can do the trick, as well. TV stars from the 70s and 80s, helping fans reconnect to those times so long ago.

“I reach back to that period of time because it seems like a much more innocent, simpler time. Before children and colleges and insurance and lawsuits and all that kind of craziness. It's kind of comfort food. We are the mash potatoes and gravy of the airwaves,” said “Dukes of Hazzard” star John Schneider.

They're sprucing up in Auburn this weekend. Preparing for a very special event.

As many as 2,000 people are expected to gather at Owasco Lake, outside Auburn, this weekend. All of the classes from the 1970s who attended Auburn High School. And here too, a desire to recapture a bit of the past is a driving force.

“People were closer back then. Life was simpler. So I think people, the closeness of just neighborhoods is what's drawing this together, also. It's just, it's a big help,” Bernie Simmons said.

Every generation remembers its younger days as better times. For this era, the memories are of things like Woodstock or moon landings. A bit hazier are darker times, like war, political intrigue, discrimination.

A poet of this generation, Billy Joel, reminded us that. "...the good old days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

But, this weekend at least, for old schoolmates, or auto enthusiasts, a bit of the past comes to life.

Simmons said, “It was a better time.”