MONTHLY CRUISIN’
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“CRUISIN’ AT THE SPEED OF FUN” Volume 23 Issue 5
May 2013
Roger Guyer’s stunning candy apple red custom 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk. Page 4
Page 11
Median Magazine Photo Shoot Pages 8 and 9
Page 2 Cruising Monthly Contact us by snail mail: P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093
Page 2
MASS CRUISERS AUTO CLUB CRUISIN’ AT THE SPEED OF FUN
We’re on the Web! www.masscruisers.com
Or by email:
Phone: 781 551-0520 for more information Our clubhouse is located at 124 Main St. behind the Dunkin Donut and across from the Police Station in the center of Norfolk MA
Directory
2
Classifieds
3
Visitors, guests and those interested in joining the Mass Cruisers Auto Club are welcome to attend one of our monthly meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month in Norfolk.
Club Officers
April 18, 2013 Cruise Winner 4
President– Fred Tierney
Beacon Hill Watch 2013
5
Vice President—Larry Nyborn
Monthly Calendar
6
May Cruisin’ Massachusets
7
Secretary—Bob Hines
Median Magazine Photo Shot
8
Treasurer—Wayne Lestan
“Median Mag Shoot (cont.)
9
Webmaster—Steve Vining
Car Shows & Events
10
New Member Liason—Dole Cole
Kilroy was here
11
Sgt. at Arms—Rick Lawlor Special Contributor—John Buchanan
Advertising Rates Business card space…….$25.00 per year
To advertise in the Monthly Cruiser, please send a business card and a check for $25.00 to
Editor—Paul Saulnier
Special Events Cruise Night—Steve Huntington Car Show—Rich Armando
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Classified
Monthly Cruising
For sale 2 Vintage gas pumps for sale Giilbarco Trimline Moden, ear in the 70's no. 10411101 MX 24683 Excellent Condition - complete with hoses and nozzle. Asking $525.00. Tokheim gas pump - year in the 30'-40-s. Visible Register- Excellent Condition- complete with hoses & nozzle- Asking $650.00 1956 Ford Pick up parts - Complete rolling chassis, Also have lots of construction small equipment and lots of nails, threaded rod, screws, etc Call Bob @ 774-254-5989 for any additional info.
1953 Ford Power Steering Unit—52 & 53 STOCK Ford Front Ends, rare. $1100.00 or BO, Jack Lane 508-397-9741 For Sale: One 2 gallon pail of Lizard Skin Ceramic Insulation. Unopened and sealed that was purchased last April. Retail price is $159.00. ……….$125.00 or BO…………………….Wayne Lestan 508-668-6544
For Sale: New Electric Space Heaters, 500W, $20.00 per unit. Jack Lane 508-397-9741
Aftermarket Mustang II Steering Rack, $75.00 · New Bob Drake wiring harness for 1940-47 car or light truck, $30.00 · New Stainless Steel Coburn dress up kit, $35.00 · New Framing River S.S. steering universal, $35.00 · Used 1932-36 tail lights and number plate bracket, $5.00 Call John @ 508-376-8712
Monthly Cruising
April 18, 2013 Cruise Winner
Tony Jones is the new Promotions Manager at the Bass Pro Shops and will be selecting different store managers throughout the 2013 cruise season to make their favorite cruise car selections. This was Tony’s first cruise night event so he did the honors himself and selected Roger Guyer’s stunning candy apple red custom 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk. This car attracted a lot of attention as Roger wheeled it into the cruise tonight from his hometown of Cumberland, R.I.. The first attraction is the Hawk’s timeless style from Loewy design studio’s Studebaker designer Robert Bourke mid fifty’s transformation of the Starlight and Starliner coupes into the Hawk series beginning in 1956. The second attraction is the stunning three stage DuPont candy apple red paint. The final attention getter was that mellow sound coming from the delta Flowmaster dual exhausts that exited the Chevy 327 powered Stude. Now, for those purists out there that recognize the 1957 rear fender tail fins are missing, which also caused me to question the vintage, this is a mild custom and the previous owner had removed the car’s original riveted fins. I thought it was a 1956 Hawk but Studebaker only made the Golden Hawk in 1956 and it clearly had a Silver Hawk escutcheon on the trunk and, of course, the R.I. vanity tag has a “57” on it. The off-white rolled and pleated interior finishes off the car and compliments the exterior paint very nicely. The car was a basket case when Roger bought this unfinished project and although he was tempted many times to take a sledge hammer to the car during its restoration, he persevered and finally had it ready by the end of the 2012 season and did make it to our October cruise last year. I’m glad he stuck with the Stude until the end because I thought the Hawk series were the most beautiful of all tri-five ear cars when I was in High School and this car still turns heads everywhere it goes. In the picture with Roger Guyer receiving the Accurate Automotive & Performance of Hyde Park sponsored cruise award plaque are two Median Mag models, Elena Corrao and Audra Miller, who will be adding some spark to our coming season cruise nights; so, gentleman start your engines. John Buchanan
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Monthly Cruising
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Beacon Hill Watch 2013 By the Honorable John Buchanan The Massachusetts Association of Auto Clubs (MAAC) held their annual general membership meeting at the Bass Pro Shops to elect their 2013 officers and board members at on April 17. Former Vice President William Ellis (Bay State Antique Auto Club) was elected President while long serving former President Dean Zwicker (Model A Restorer’s Club of Massachusetts) stepped down to continue an active role as Vice President. Doug Linden (Minuteman Model A Ford Club) was elected Treasurer and Dennis Newman (Shamrods) elected Secretary. Returning as Board of Directors members were John Buchanan (Mass Cruisers Auto Club), John Freeman (individual), Bruce Newcomb (Cape Cod British Car Club), Steve Peluso (Yankee Chapter Pontiac-Oakland Club Int’l.), Carl Webber (South Shore Antique Auto Club) & Tom Yoder (Mid-State Antique Auto Club) who is also the MAAC Editor and Webmeister. After a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, the meeting was opened for discussion of new business and to discuss the status of current proposed legislation on Beacon Hill that could impact our hobby. These are the following new pieces of legislation being considered for the 188 th General Court: Bill H.3016 By Ms. Ruth B. Balser of Newton, to increase road safety. SECTION 7A of chapter 90 of the General Laws for legislation to expand the items inspected on motor vehicles during annual safety inspections. In addition to the emissions testing requirements, an annual maintenance inspection to determine the proper and safe condition to the terms and conditions delineated in 540 CMR 4.00. A rejection certificate of rejection shall be issued to any vehicle submitted for inspection with Light Truck (LT) or Passenger (P) tires, including full-service spare, greater than six years of age based on the Tire Identification Number (TIN). Bill H.3149 By Mr. Theodore C. Speliotis of Danvers, to further regulate motorcycle sound levels. SECTION 7U of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence: “The use and sale of any exhaust pipe that increases the sound emission of any vehicle including motorcycles shall be prohibited. All motorcycle exhaust pipes must conform to 82dBA maximum noise level measured directly to the rear exhaust outlet at a distance of 12 inches. The angle of measurement shall not exceed 30 degrees. Sound measurements taken beyond 12 inches that exceed the requirements are not acceptable. Violation of said decibel level, or illegal retrofitting, will result in a license suspension for six (6) months and/or a fine not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars ($250).” Bill S.1637 By Mr. Brownsberger of Belmont, petition relative to motor vehicle registration plates. Section 1. Section 2 of Chapter 90 of the General Laws as appearing in the 2008 official edition is hereby amended in the seventh paragraph, line 2, by striking the words “two number plates of suitable design” and inserting the words “one number plate of suitable design to be placed at the rear of the vehicle”, Section 2. Section 6 of Chapter 90 of the General Laws as appearing in the 2008 official edition is hereby amended in line 6 by striking the following words: “at the front and”.
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Monthly Cruising
May 2013 Su
5 *
Mo
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Tue We
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4th, Seekonk Speedway Show & Go and Burnout Drags, Route 6.
5th, NAPA Spring Festival Car Show, 50 East Main St, Westborough. Noon- 3PM
11th, Herb Chambers Cars & Coffee, Burlington, Route 3A, 7-10 AM
11-12th, SSAAC Swap Meet, Comcast Ctr, Rte 140, Exit 11of 495.
14th, Business Meeting @ Clubhouse
21st Members Meeting @ Clubhouse.
** Bass Pro Cruise Nights hosted by the Mass Cruisers.
2nd, See page 10 for multiple listings.
11th, Business Meeting @ Clubhouse
1
8
14-16, 22nd Goodguys. Rich Armando coordinating Cruisers activities.
16th, Fathers Day Breakfast Cruise, Holliston Historical Society, 8—10 AM
18th, Memebrs Meeting @ Clubhouse
Thu Fri
Sat
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12 * 13
14 * 15
16** 17
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30** 31
June 2013 Su
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Tue We 5
Thu Fri 7
Sat
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18 * 19
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23rd, Elm Bank Show, Route 16, Natick, 9 AM—3:30 PM
23 * 24
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** Bass Pro Cruise Nights hosted by the Mass Cruisers.
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May
30 Contact Mary or Bob Lepore for available months to schedule hosting the monthly winter dinner socials at your favorite restaurant with coffee and pot luck desserts at your home.
May Cruising Massachusetts Monday:
Thursday:
√5/13 Abington: Abington Ale House (SSCC), Rte. 18. 5pm-Dusk √ Billerica: The 99 Restaurant, 160 Lexington Rd. Middlesex Tpke. 5pm √ Lowell: Heritage Farm Ice Cream,163 Pawtucket Ave. (Rte. 113) 6—10
Woods)
√ Attleboro; Cardi’s Furniture, Rte. 1A I-95 Exit 2; 5—8 pm (Tom √5/2 Beverly; Beverly Airport, Rte. 97- Cabot St. to L.P. Henderson Rd.; 5—8
pm
pm
pm—dusk
√ Middleboro: Town Hall, 10 Nickerson Ave, off Rte. 105; 4—8 PM √ North Reading: Kitty’s Restaurant, 123 Main St.;5-Dusk √ Raynham: Raynham Park,1958 Broadway-Rte.138 (I-495 Exit 8); 5-Dusk
√5/6 Plainville: Summer Scoops, 80 Washington St. (U.S. Rte. 1) 4 pm — 8 pm √4/29 Rochester: Matt’s Blackboard, Plumb Corner Mall, Rte. 105, 5-9pm √5/13 Uxbridge: Hay-Wagon Restaurant,504 W. Hartford Ave.5-9 √ Coventry, RI; Venus Pizza, 8230 Post Rd. U.S. Rte. 1; 5:00 pm—dark √ Exeter, RI; Honey Dew Donuts, 567 South County Trail (Rte. 2), 5 √ N. Kingston RI: Tarbox Motors, 1100 Tower Rd., Rte. 1 √5/6 West Warwick: Cardi’s, 1681 Quaker Lane (Rte. 2 Exit 8) 5 pm (Bruce P.)
√ N. Situate: Suzy Q’s, 208 Plainfield Pike (Rte. 14) 4 pm—dark (DJ Car Guy)
√ Woonsocket, RI; Patriot’s Diner; 65 Founder’s Dr. off Rte. 122, 5pm
Tuesday:
√ Assonet: Assonet Pizza, 66 South Main St. (Route 24, Exit 9); 5PM √5/7 Billerica: Road Rebels, V.I.P. Auto Parts, Rte. 3A; 6-9 PM √6/4 Bourne: Upper Cape Reg. Tech, Sandwich Rd. Rte. 6A; 5pm √ Dedham: Uno Chicago Grill, 270 Providence Hgwy. (U.S. Rte. 1) 5 pm √4/30 Dartmouth: Stackhouse, 16 Faith St. (Stackhouse St. off Rockdale Ave.) 5 pm
√ Lexington: Alexander Pizza, 180 Bedford St. (Rtes. 4/225) 5—dusk √ Peabody: Sal’s Pizza, 139 Lynnfield St. 5—8 PM √ Saugus: Fuddruckers, 900 Broadway (Rte. 1N), 5-8PM √4/30 Swansea: Bike Nite @ Simcock Farm Ice Cream, 361 Marvel St.; 5–9 PM √ Middleboro: Lorenzo’s; 500 West Grove St. (Rte. 28); 5 pm—dusk √ Northborough: Mama’s Pizza, 10 Blake off Rte. 20; 4—9 pm √5/7 Upton: Cruisin’ at the V.F.W, Rte. 140/Milford St. ; 5-9PM √ Westminster: VFW back parking lot, 1 Eaton St.@ Rte. 2A 4—8 pm √5/7 Weymouth: Auto Zone, 555 Washington St. (Rte. 53) 3:30 PM—
√ Dracut; Shaw’s Farm, 204 New Boston Rd. 5—8 pm √ Foxboro: Bass Pro Shops, 1 Bass Pro Pl. (Rte. 1) (Bruce P) 4:30 PM 4/18, 5/2, 5/18, 5/30, 6/13, 6/27, 7/11, 7/25 , 8/8, 8/22, 9/5, 9/19, 10/3, 10/17
Alternates w Bass Pro: 5/9, 5/23, 6/6, 6/20, 7/4, 7/18, 8/1, 8/15, 8/29, 9/12, 9/26, 10/10
√ Saugus: Fuddruckers, 900 Broadway (Rte. 1N); 4:30— dusk √ Shrewsbury: Hebert Candy Mansion, Rte. 20 5 PM √6/6 Stow: Minuteman Air Field Wings & Wheels, 302 Boxboro Rd., 5—8 PM √ Templeton: King Phillips Restaurant, Rte. 2A 5 PM—dark √ East Providence: Pazi’s Pizza, 380 Taunton Ave. (U.S. Rte. 44) 5—9 pm √ N. Situate: Suzy Q’s, 208 Plainfield Pike (Rte. 14) 4 pm—dark (DJ Car Guy) √ West Warwick, RI: Cowesett Inn, Rte. 3; 5 pm—sunset √6/6 Westerly, RI: Windjammer (East Lot) 337 Atlantic Ave. 5 pm—8:30 pm
Friday: √5/3 Auburn: Auburn/Webster Elks, 754 Southbridge St. (Rte. 12) 5 PM √ Blackstone, MA: Wojcik’s Farm, 65 Milk St., 5-8 pm √ Canton, MA: Trinity Church, 1 Blue Hill River Rd. , 4—Dusk √5/10 Dartmouth, MA: Cold Stone Creamery, 85 Faunce Corner Rd., 5 pm Alternate Fri. with Mattapoisett: May 10, 24 & 30; June 14 & 28; July 12 & 19; Aug 9,, 23 & 30; Sept. 13 & 27
√ Fitchburg: J.R.’s Pub, 14 North St. off Rte. 2A √ Gardner: PACC, 171 Kendall Pond Rd. West, off Rte. 2A 4 pm-dark √ Halifax: Wal-Mart, Rtes. 106 & 58 4 pm-dark √5/3 Lancaster: Kimball Farm, 1543 Lunenburg Rd. (Rte. 70) 5-9 PM √5/3 Mattapoisett: Mattapoisett Wharf off Rte. 6; 5 PM
Alternate Fri. with Dartmouth: May 3 & 17; June 7 & 21, July 12 & 19, Aug. 9 , 23 & 30, Sep. 13 & 27
√ Norton: Honey Dew Donuts, Rte. 123 5-8 PM √5/7 Coventry, RI: Cozy’s Grill, 473 Tiogue Ave. (Rte. 3) 1st Tues. only 4 PM √5/3 Tewksbury: Papa Gino’s, 553 Main St., (Rte. 38) 5 PM till Dusk - dark √ Ashton RI: Pavilion Restaurant, 15 Frontier Rd. Rte. 3 5–8 PM √ Woonsocket, RI: All Saints Parish, 323 Rathbun St.; 5:30—8:30 pm √ Bristol, RI: Thomas the Apostle Church, Rte. 136; 5 pm √ Greenville/Smithfield, RI: A&W Rte.44 (I-295 Exit 7); 6-9PM (Bruce √ Cranston, RI: Johnny Rocket’s; Chapel Hill Plaza, Rte. 2, 4 PM P.) √ Cumberland, RI: MacDonald’s; Rte. 122, 6 PM (Bruce P.) √5/7 Pawtucket, RI: Slater Park, Armistice Blvd. or Rte. 1A 5–Dusk √ E. Greenwich, RI: Crestar Picture Framing, 51 Liberty St. off Rte. 1, 5:30 pm √5/21 Warwick, RI: Oakland Beach Cruise Night, Rte. 1A 5-9 PM √ Jamestown, RI: Port. Amer. Club, 138 Narragansett Ave., 5:30 pm Wednesday: √ Warwick, RI: Firestone Service, 1689 Post Rd., 4 pm-dark (DJ Car Guy) √ Attleboro: Farmer’s Village, West St. , pm—dusk √7/5 Attleboro: Pleasant Auto Center, 676 Pleasant St. (Rte. 123) 5 pm—dusk Saturday: √5/4 Acton: Julie’s Place, 208 Main St. (Rte. 27); 4-7 PM √ Ayer: Depot Square, 4/18. 5/16, 6/20, 7/18, 8/15, 9/19; 5:30 pm—dusk √ Braintree: Cardi’s Furniture, 180 Pearl St. (Rte. 3), 5-8 PM (Al Brewer) √ Framingham: CJ’s Northside Grill, 911 Edgell Rd., 3-10 PM √5/4 Framingham/Saxonville: LandoZ Hometown Grille, 1 Nicholas Rd., 1-6 √5/29 Chelmsford: Drum Hill Burger King, Rte. 3 Exit 32, 5:30 PM til PM dusk √ Danvers: Liberty Tree Mall, 100 Independence Way (128 Exit 24) 4:30 PM √ Gardner: PACC, 171 Kendall Pnd West Rd.., 5 PM till dark √ Merrimac: Skip’s Snack Bar, Rte. 110, 4-9 PM √ Dartmouth: Stackhouse, 16 Faith St. (off Stackhouse St.) 5 PM till dark √ Millbury: Coffee & Cars, VFW Post, 16 So. Main St. 7-11 am √5/1 E. Taunton: Star Drive-In, Myricks St. (Rte. 140 exit 10) 5 PM till dark √5/4 Millis: Clicquot Cruise at Gold’s Gym, 27 Milliston Rd. (Rte.109); 5—8:30 √ Fitchburg: J.R.’s Pub, 14 North St. off Rte. 2A PM √ Harwichport: A & W, 297 Rte. 28 4 PM—dusk √5/8 Leominster: Storage Solutions, 345 Central St.,(Rte.12) 5:00 PM—Dusk √5/18 South Dennis: Patriots Square Mall; Rte. 134 (Rte. 6 Exit 9) 5 PM √ Millbury: Scales Seafood & Ice Cream, 45 River St. √6/1 Sterling: “The 228”; 228 Leominster Rd. (Rte. 12N I-190 Exit 6) 3-7 PM √ Milford: Caps Auto Parts, 75 Fortune Blvd, off Rte. 85 6PM √ Waltham: Dunkin Donut, 130 Lexington St. , 4 - 9 PM √ Methuen: Fuddruckers, Village Mall, Rte. 28 5PM-dusk √ Westminster; V.F.W.; 3 Eaton St. @ Main Rte. 2A; 4– 8 PM √ Shrewsbury: Dinkey’s Blue Belle Diner, 70 Clinton St. (Rte. 70); 5pm √ Worcester: 5 and Diner, 525 Lincoln St. (Rte. 70); 4– 9PM √ Spencer: Klem’s, Rte. 9, 117 Main St. 5pm √ Cumberland RI: Phantom Farms, 2920 Diamond Hill Rd. 4pm (Bruce P.) √ Sterling: 140 Rendezvous Pub, 344 Redemption Rock Trail (Rte. 140) √ N. Scituate RI: Knight Farm, 1 Snake Hill Rd @ Rte. 116 4pm √5/1 Swansea: Simcock Farm Ice Cream, 361 Marvel St.; 5–9 PM √5/4 Riverside RI: Crescent Park Carousel, 684 Bullocks Point Ave,5-8 pm √ Weymouth: Elk’s Club, 1197 Washington St. 7/18,Aug. 1,15 & 22 5:30 PM √ Jamestown, RI; Jamestown Tavern; 138 Narragansett Ave., 4:30 pm Sunday: √ Lincoln, RI; Lincoln Mall; 138 Narragansett Ave., 5-8 pm √ Ayer: Devens Grill BBQ, 4 Ryan's Way 1-4 pm √5/1 Narragansett, RI: Bon Vue & Aunt Carrie’s, 1230 Ocean Rd. √ Beverly: American BBQ, 181 Elliot St./ Rte.62 , 2—7 PM √ N. Providence, RI: Tasty Diner, 1410 Mineral Spring Ave. (Rte. 15) 5 pm √ Burlington: Schoolhouse Ice Cream, 216 Cambridge St. 2-8 PM √ Richmond, RI: Ernie T’s Restaurant, 1219 Main St.(I-95 Exit 3) 5 pm √ Holliston Water Hazard Mini Golf 750 Concord St (Rte. 126) 3—7 pm √5/1 W. Greenwich, RI: Denny’s, I-95 exit 7; 6-9PM (Bruce P) √ New Bedford: G & S Pizza (Milk Bottle-Rte.18) 2840 Acushnet Ave.,4-8PM √ Orange: Athol/Orange Elk’s, 92 New Athol Rd. (Rte. 2A) 3 pm BBQ @ 6 pm √ Seekonk: Sam’s Club, Rte 6, Exit 1 off I-195 5-8 PM √ Warwick RI: TGI Fridays, 989 Centerville Rd. (Rte. 2), 4:30 pm—dark Dark
Monthly Cruising
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Show Time
Median Mag Photo Shoot
The call went out for club members to provide a few cars for two Median Mag photo shoots that Joshua Guzzetti was conducting to select models to be used for promoting his new quarterly performance automotive magazine www.medianmag.com . I don’t know if Tom Johnson (’49 Ford F1) and Dave Sareault (’32 Ford High Boy) enjoyed the photo shoot as much as I did, but it was a brand new experience for me watching how a professional photo shoot with beautiful models and pros working behind the lens go about their work. I’m not sure how many models showed up for the two schedule four hour photo shoot sessions with three cars at each session, two outside and one inside the studio, but who’s counting when you’re having fun. Even though one of those dreaded spring thunderstorms blew through our April Fool’s Day afternoon evening session around 5:30 pm they didn’t skip a beat. Josh’s wife Denise couldn’t have planned the timing better when boxes of Papa Gino’s pizzas arrived in time to take advantage of nature’s break. Rather than wipe down my ’31 Dodge sedan for the outside shots after the rain, we left the rain drops on and with the wind still blowing, the temperature dropping about 20 degrees and the storm clouds just breaking to the North, timing couldn’t have been more perfect for photographer Greg Caparell to capture one of those rare moments with model Sarah Michelle posing under less than ideal conditions. The photo is a real keeper that is now hanging on my workshop wall behind my tool chest.
Monthly Cruising
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Show Time (cont.) You’ll have to check out which of models passed Josh and Greg’s screen test at our upcoming Bass Pro Shops cruise nights where he has plans to have them on hand to help interest all the performance motorheads in subscribing to his new quality publication, Median Mag. For those who are internet savvy and enabled you can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. The rest of us will have to rely on subscribing for their quarterly snail mail issue. Four of the eight models that passed Josh & Greg’s screen test were on hand at the April 17 opening cruise night to interest all the performance motorheads into subscribing to his new quality publication, Median Mag. For those who are internet savvy and enabled you can also follow Median Mag on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr while the rest of us have to rely on subscribing for the quarterly snail mail issues. Two of the models, Elena Corrao and Audra Miller, posed with the cruise winner Roger Guyer and his 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk (shown on page ?) and boy did he really enjoy all that attention. Joshua and his Median Mag photographers were also scoping out the best way to offer onsite photo sessions at our cruise nights by testing out a green screen location, which the windy hilltop and traffic flow pattern didn’t help, and also passing out professional photo session information cards which will allow car owners to select their 1st and 2nd choice of models that could be used for a personal professional photo session of their car. This is a new wrinkle for show car owners to look forward to when they cruise over to the Bass Pro Shops.
Monthly Page 10 Cruising
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Monthly MonthlyCruising Cruising
Page 11 PP11
Kilroy Was Here He is engraved in stone in the National War Memorial in Washington, DC. It's back in a small alcove where very few people have seen it. A bit of trivia, even if you’ve never heard of Kilroy before. For the WWII generation, this will bring back memories. For you younger folks, it's a bit of trivia that is a part of our American history. Anyone born in 1913 to about 1950, is familiar with Kilroy. We didn't know why, but we had lapel pins with his nose hanging over the label and the top of his face above his nose with his hands hanging over the label. No one knew why he was so well known, but we all joined in! So who the heck was Kilroy? In 1946 the American Transit Association, through its radio program, "Speak to America ," sponsored a nationwide contest to find the real Kilroy, offering a prize of a real trolley car to the person who could prove himself to be the genuine article. Almost 40 men stepped forward to make that claim, but only James Kilroy from Halifax, Massachusetts, had evidence of his identity. Kilroy was a 46-year old shipyard worker during the war who worked as a checker at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy. His job was to go around and check on the number of rivets completed. Riveters were on piecework and got paid by the rivet. He would count a block of rivets and put a check mark in semi-waxed lumber chalk, so the rivets wouldn't be counted twice. When Kilroy went off duty, the riveters would erase the mark. Later on, an off-shift inspector would come through and count the rivets a second time, resulting in double pay for the riveters. One day Kilroy's boss called him into his office. The foreman was upset about all the wages being paid to riveters, and asked him to investigate. It was then he realized what had been going on. The tight spaces he had to crawl in to check the rivets didn't lend themselves to lugging around a paint can and brush, so Kilroy decided to stick with the waxy chalk. He continued to put his check mark on each job he inspected, but added 'KILROY WAS HERE' in king-sized letters next to the check, and eventually added the sketch of the chap with the long nose peering over the fence and that became part of the Kilroy message. Once he did that, the riveters stopped trying to wipe away his marks. Ordinarily the rivets and chalk marks would have been covered up with paint. With the war on, however, ships were leaving the Quincy Yard so fast that there wasn't time to paint them. As a result, Kilroy's inspection "trademark" was seen by thousands of servicemen who boarded the troopships the yard produced. His message apparently rang a bell with the servicemen, because they picked it up and spread it all over Europe and the South Pacific. Before war's end, "Kilroy" had been here, there, and everywhere on the long hauls to Berlin and Tokyo. To the troops outbound in those ships, however, he was a complete mystery; all they knew for sure was that someone named Kilroy had "been there first." As a joke, U.S. servicemen began placing the graffiti wherever they landed, claiming it was already there when they arrived. Kilroy became the U.S. super-GI who had always "already been" wherever GIs went. It became a challenge to place the logo in the most unlikely places imaginable (it is said to be atop Mt. Everest, the Statue of Liberty, the underside of the Arc de Triomphe, and even scrawled in the dust on the moon. As the war went on, the legend grew. Underwater demolition teams routinely sneaked ashore on Japanese-held islands in the Pacific to map the terrain for coming invasions by U.S. troops (and thus, presumably, were the first GI's there). On one occasion, however, they reported seeing enemy troops painting over the Kilroy logo! In 1945, an outhouse was built for the exclusive use of Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill at the Potsdam conference. Its' first occupant was Stalin, who emerged and asked his aide (in Russian), "Who is Kilroy?" To help prove his authenticity in 1946, James Kilroy brought along officials from the shipyard and some of the riveters. He won the trolley car, which he gave to his nine children as a Christmas gift and set it up as a playhouse in the Kilroy front yard in Halifax, Massachusetts. So, now you know.
May 2013
Member meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the Norfolk MA clubhouse.
Vegas were transported vertically from the factory in specially designed auto racks called Vert-A-Pac. Within the space of a standard 89-foot flatcar, as many as 30 Vegas could be transported instead of 18. Could this be the genesis of the term “trash compactor�?
P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093