Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Monthly Crusin
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Mass Cruisers Auto Club October 2019
September 5th Cruise Winner 2007 Infinity G35
26th Annual Old Orchard Beach Show
September CRUIZN
Vandervalk Farm Winery Cruise
Thank you to our Engine Judging team, And to The Norfolk Aggie and Blue Hills Regional Students that participated in the September 27th engine build off.
INSIDE: PRESIDENT’S TAILPIPE CRUZIN WATERS FARM FALL FEST AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS
We’re on the Web
Celebrating 28 Years of Cruisin’ Volume 28 Issue 10
www.masscruisers.com And Facebook
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Monthly Crusin Contact us by snail mail: P.O. Box 217, Wrentham, MA 02093 Or by email: HO350@comcast.net
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We have moved all monthly meetings to the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Room at 1 Bass Pro Place in Foxboro, MA beginning in May. Monthly meetings will still be held the third Tuesday of the month starting at 7 PM, guests and visitors are welcome to attend. Business meetings will be held an hour earlier, club members are encouraged to attend.
Club Officers
DIRECTORY
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PRESIDENT’S TAILPIPE
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SEPTEMBER 5TH CRUISE WINNER
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Secretary: Lesley Corda-Majeski Asst. Secretary: John Guravage
OOB CAR SHOW
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SEPTEMBER CRUIZN
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Treasurer: Kevin Rushlow Asst. Treasurer: Rich Armando
VANDERVALK FARM WINERY CRUISE
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ADIRONDACK NATIONALS
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Special Assignments
SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
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Webmaster: Steve Vining
CRUZIN
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Newsletter Editor: John Guravage
AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS
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Digital Graphics Editor: Diane Thorton
President: Mark Crichton Vice President: Larry Nyborn
At Large Board Member: Steve Huntington
Managing Editor: John Buchanan
Facebook: Patrick Touhey New Members: Zeke Sawayer Sgts. at Arms: Rick Lawlor John Sturniolo Charity Coord.: Frank Bryant Food Pantry: Steve Fernald Bob Okerholm By-Laws: Wayne Lestan MAAC Rep: John Buchanan Cruise Nights: Steve Huntington Sponsors: John Buchanan Fred Tierney
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President’s Tailpipe By Mark Crichton
WOW! October ushers in the end of the cruise season as the sun sets earlier with each passing day. Sunset for our final October 24 cruise is at 5:50 PM; bummer. We still have some great weekend events to look forward beginning with the annual 118 mile Historic U.S. Route 6 Seekonk to Provincetown cruise weekend with rally stops at Factory Five Racing in Wareham, the West Barnstable RR Station & Museum, the Centerville Cape Cod Visitor Center ending with hanging out at the Province Lands National Seashore Park sand dunes in Provincetown in the afternoon where we get our Factory Five sponsored commemorative dash plaques. Some will return back home at sunset but many will stay over at the waterfront Surfside Inn on Commercial Street for one or two additional nights to fully enjoy all that the outer Cape Cod has to offer in the quiet fall season. This has been a multi-club event going on 8 years now with regulars coming from as far away as Richmond Maine. We are also resurrecting the Waters Farm Fall Festival foliage cruise on October 20 to West Sutton after an 8 year hiatus. This is a great family event with a car show embedded in it that our D.J. Bruce Palmer now has on his calendar. The flyer listing all that is happening is posted in the newsletter and the cruise starting point location and time is posted in the club events page. A first for our club at the September 17 monthly meeting was hosting a baby shower for our club Secretary Lesley Cords-Majeski instead of having a gearhead guest speaker. Lesley really looked in the pink opening all the gifts; or was she blue? Did we find out if the little Mustang was going to be a filly or stallion? At any rate we pray she has a successful birth experience and a healthy first child.
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September 5th Cruise Winner By John Buchanan
Many owners of antique, classic, period modified hot rods and custom vehicles attending our cruise nights have regularly complained about the number of newer Detroit built off-theshowroom vehicles and modified late model tuner cars that show up. When I look back to my own era of the late 1950’s & early 1960’s, the Silent Generation, vehicles we were able to afford and modify were 10 to 20 year old used or junkyard specials, which would make them 1930’s pre-war and 1940 – 1950 post war vintage. Well that’s equivalent today to the 1990 – 2010 vehicles we see the current Millennial generation customizing and modifying that show up in increasing numbers to our Bass Pro Shops cruises. To many, these cars all pretty much look the same resulting from Government fuel economy goals that manufacturers try to meet using wind tunnel tested aerodynamic styling shapes. That doesn’t leave the major manufacturers much room for individual artistic expression. One way our Millennials have tried to individualize their rides is with the wheels, ride height & additional aerodynamic fairings. Another is under the hood by boosting performance. Cumberland R.I. resident Kyle English’s black 2007 Infinity GS was picked to receive the September 5 Cruiser Award plaque sponsored by Vintage Motorsports in Holliston precisely for those special touches that he worked for 10 months to transform it from its former super cool U.S. version of the Nissan Skyline to a fire breathing American style hot rod sporting a Huron Speed Turbonetics TC-78 turbo charged 6.0L LS V8 bored 0.040 over with forged pistons backed by a Tremec Magnum T56 6 -speed tranny that can lay down 750 HP at the rear wheels. To catch your eyes, there are the RED VIP Modular forged VX series wheels as the air ride height is adjusted low to the ground for minimum drag. Yep, hot rodding has really changed dramatically in this new millennium. You don’t have to scrounge around the junk yards to cobble together performance that was unthinkable back in the day with the internet and plenty of after-market performance parts suppliers just a mouse-click away. We salute the different creative ways Millennials are personalizing their 10-20-year-old builds and congratulate Kyle on his super cool G35 hotrod.
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26th Old Orchard Beach Car Show By John Buchanan
Big changes this year for the annual Old Orchard Beach (OOB) Cruise & Car Show. The biggest change, eliminating the Friday night escorted cruise up, down and around East & West Grand Ave. and 1 st Street from the Friday afternoon cruise-in that is centered around Old Orchard Street had everyone wondering about its impact. Another change was a $10 parking fee for non-registered car show cruise-in participants at the Friday cruise-in. We’re told both changes were over residents’ complaints of late night burn outs and safety concerns. Well the Friday afternoon cruise-in started out looking a bit sparse when we arrived in the early afternoon. But our cruise organizers, Steve Huntington & Lou Valentine had planned a visit to the recently opened Maine Classic Car Museum at Motorland in Arundel, ME following our lunch at the Brunswick Hotel beachfront deck and check-in at The Edgewater Hotel. The museum tour was the other big change for us and this museum visit alone, led by the museum’s docent Spencer, was worth the trip to see an amazing collection of unique and interesting cars that ranged from a 1919 Model T to several very rare Woodie station wagons, a 1948 Tupelo Tucker and Mercury Utramatic, a one-of-a-kind prototype of a new luxury sports car that Sam & George Barris built for Leo Lyons and Garner Ford of San Bernardino, CA. At the Saturday 26th Annual OOB car show, which was interrupted midway through with a rain shower, 390 registered vehicles competed in 22 peer judged classes. Larry Nyborn took home a 1 st place trophy in Class R, Factory Classic Muscle Cars thru 1989 with his 1965 GTO; Wayne Lestan took home a 3 rd Place trophy in Class M, Best of the ‘60’s GM with J.B.’s 61 Impala and Steve Huntington took home a 3 rd Place trophy in Class O, Best of the ‘70’s with his 1979 Cadillac Sedan deVille. We finished out Saturday evening with dinner at the Boardwalk Grille in Ocean Park that 24 club members and guests attended and wishing Jean Lestan a Happy Birthday. The following day, Sunday, we drove the usual slow route, historic U.S. Route 1, back home to the Arundel Antique Village & Flea Market for some shopping followed by an ice cream stop at Big Daddy’s in Wells Maine Wild Blueberry was awesome - and then to the When Pig’s Fly Company Store & Pizzeria in Kittery for fresh baked breads, lunch and to watch the Patriots game on their big screen T.V. in the back room. Another great weekend away with our cars and fellow club members. Pictures Below: • Steve Fernald with 1967 Good Humor Ice Cream Truck owner Pete and his wife • Diane Thornton’s 1966 Mustang parked alongside 1956 & 57 T-Birds at the Edgewater Hotel • Car Show winners Wayne Lestan, Steve Huntington & Larry Nyborn with Johnnie Sturniolo photo bombing • Wishing Jean Lestan a Happy Birthday at the Boardwalk Grille dinner • Entrance to the Maine Classic Car Museum • Barbara Nyborn & Diane Thornton try out the BMW Isetta for size & chuckles.
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September CRUIZN By John Buchanan
August & September is filled with weekend away car shows and competing local shows for those not up to driving their cars long distances to Syracuse NY, Lake George NY, Old Orchard Beach ME or Burlington VT, Throw in the NFL Thursday night Patriots schedule conflicts with our bi-weekly Bass Pro Shops Cruise nights and it can get dicey for club members that plan and make hotel reservations each year to attend any one of the afore mentioned weekend shows which usually makes Thursday the travel day. I went to a couple of these for the first time this year, the Syracuse Nationals and Adirondack Nationals at Lake George. Syracuse was great but too hot with temps reaching near 100 while Lake George was perfect but conflicted with the reschedule Sept. 3 cruise.. Even if it rains, as it did during the Old Orchard Beach car show this year, a few days away with the car and car club buddies is still a great time, hurricanes being the exception. One of the local Sunday show this year, Hot Rods on the Hill in Cumberland, R.I., held on Saturday Aug. 31, is one that club members started putting on their calendar last year is definitely one that will be on mine from now on,. It’s a great show in a great location with a variety of vendors and activities, including a pinstriping competition and beauty contest held atop a flat-bed wrecker truck, how cool is that? Here’s a few pics of the Lake George and Diamond Hill Hot rod shows.
Hot Rods on the Hill Mass Cruisers
Diamond Lil” at Diamond Hill
Pinstriping Competition
John Sturniolo + Richa Armando enter lower show field (Lake George)
Beauty Pageant Atlantic City Style
Cosplay (Lake George) Characters walk to show
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Vandervalk Farm Winery Cruise By Larry Nyborn On Sunday Aug. 25th the Mass Cruisers met at 11:15AM at the Home Depot in Bellingham and cruised over to the Vandervalk Farm in Mendon where the members were warmly greeted by the owners Sue & Casey Vandervalk. The Cruisers had their own parking area; attendees were: John & Amy Nunez (modern), Don & Ann Cole (modern), Lou & Linda Valentine (new Ram Truck), Zeke & Rose Sawayer ('64 Falcon), Frank Bryant with his son (Mustang), Diane & Dave Thornton ('66 Mustang), Steve & Annie Huntington('79 /Caddy), Wayne Lestan('67 /Chevy), Bob & Johanna Okerholm(2002 Thunderbird), Larry & Barbara Nyborn('65 Pontiac GTO). The group was joined at the farm by Al & Lanie Cameron('69 Camaro). Initially we roamed the grounds and explored the wine tasting wine selling building and visited the various vendors selling home-made/home-grown items. Then Casey fired up the tractor and pulled the wagon full of Cruisers all around the 20 acre tree farm. After the ride Casey took those that were interested over to the newly built large barn which housed the welding/drilling/sawing/grinding/etc. equipment which were used to maintain/repair all the farm machinery. After that Casey treated everyone to a tour of the wine making building explaining in detail the wine making process. Casey & Sue were so gracious; those that attended had a great time!
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Adirondack Nationals Car Show By John Buchanan
The Adirondack Nationals Car Show at Fort Henry in Lake George, NY includes a cruise-within-the-cruise on Thursday. Being the newbie in the Bruce Berry club member group, I got to pick a destination and it was Fort Ticonderoga, which for history buffs as well as classic car cruising enthusiasts is a bucket list category drive; Fort Henry to Fort Ticonderoga and back along Lake Shore Drive, a.k.a. NY 9A. The other club member group, Richie & Marie Armando et al chose the picturesque lakeside town of Bolton for the wives to go window shopping. Of course the main attraction at Lake George, is the always packed-to-the-gills Adirondacks Nationals Car Show from Friday to Sunday and the evening antics of registered show participants along the 1 ¼ mile cordoned off Canada Street. What made this show grow to such popular proportions, in addition to the scenic beauty of this lakeside Adirondack village, is everything is within walking distance from your hotel, car show, restaurants, evening cruising & Saturday night fireworks over the lake. Many show registrants never drive their registered car into the Fort Henry show grounds, preferring to see the show on foot and driving around town when the spirit moves them. Oh yes, I did rebooked my room again for 2020 as many have been doing for the past 10 to 20 years. I only hope that the NFL doesn’t schedule another Thursday night game conflict with our 2020 cruise schedule. Cobbler
Bruce Berry napping on the ramparts
French Soldier reenactor
Shooting from the ramparts
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October 2019 Member meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093
Monthly Crusin