Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 1
Mass Cruisers Auto Club October 2020
“CRUIZN” TO THE BOSTON POLO CLUB
NO SHOW AT OLD ORCHARD BEACH
LAKE GEORGE WITHOUT THE CAR SHOW
INSIDE: PRESIDENT’S MUSINGS WEEKLY CRUZIN & MONTHLY AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS We’re on the Web
Celebrating 29 Years of Cruisin’ Volume 29 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
Page 2
www.masscruisers.com
All monthly meetings in the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Room have been cancelled until further notice due to COVID-19 Phase implementation. Business meetings are conducted either on line using ZOOM meetings or held on an emergency basis as needed. With all of our 2020 cruise and car show events being cancelled, Club member cruises to alternate sites that allow group gatherings will be announced via the club’s email list. DIRECTORY
Page 2
PRESIDENTIAL MUSING
Page 3
COVID-19 MUSING
Page 3
CRUIZN TO THE BOSTON POLO CLUB LAKE GEORGE WITHOUT THE CAR SHOW
Club Officers President: Larry Nyborn Vice President: Open
Secretary: Lesley Corda-Majeski Page 4 & 5 Asst. Secretary: Open Page 6 & 7
Treasurer: Kevin Rushlow Asst. Treasurer: Rich Armando At Large Board Member: Steve Huntington
OLD ORCHARD BEACH CRUISE
Page 8
SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
Page 9
Special Assignments
MEMBERS RUN VIRTUAL BOSTON MARATHON
Page 10
Webmaster: Steve Vining
COVID-19 MUSING RI VETS HOME UPDATE
Page 10
AUTO SHOWS & EVENTS
Page 11
Managing Editor: John Buchanan Newsletter Editor: Open Digital Graphics Editor: Open Facebook: Patrick Touhey New Members: Lou Valentine
Sgts. at Arms: Rick Lawlor John Sturniolo Charity Coordinator: Open Food Pantry: Steve Fernald Bob Okerholm
By-Laws: Wayne Lestan MAAC Rep: John Buchanan Cruise Nights: Steve Huntington Sponsors: John Buchanan Fred Tierney Club Events: Rich Armando
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 3
Presidential Musings By Larry Nyborn
Freedom of the Open Road While there is not as much open road and space as there used to be, it is still quite a thrill to get that classic car out for a spin….such a wonderful feeling of freedom when you are out in your machine, especially now in these COVID-19 days. Remember the good old days when you could chirp the tires and burn rubber? Nowadays, even if a cop is not around to catch you, some idiot bystander will take your plate number and file a report. Remember the blue dot tail lights which of course have long been outlawed? In these days of increasing government controls and mandates, we as classic/antique car owners had better pay close attention to what our legislators might try to do to restrict our rights to operate our classics. There could be pressure to impose stricter pollution standards which antique/classic cars are currently exempt from meeting but will not be able to meet should enforcement be made across the board. We need to continue support for car enthusiast lobbying efforts nationally by the SEMA Action Network (http://semasan.com/) and our own Massachusetts Association of Auto Clubs (https://massautoclubs.org/) to prevent proposed legislative mandates from becoming law. Sign up for their newsletters to keep up with what is happening in your neighborhood. In the future, I’m convinced there will also be efforts to ban gasoline engines entirely to be replaced by electric vehicles. So, the bottom line is, we need to keep the pressure on our legislators so we can continue to enjoy the freedom of the road with our classics.
COVID-19 Musing By John Buchanan EDITORIAL
While most car event cancellations became the norm over a summer that will be remembered as the YEAR of COVID-19 mandates, there has been a recent uptick in organized auto events, cruises and cars & coffee gatherings as we head into the fall season. Even some of the bigger cancelled weekend events, like the annual Adirondack Nationals at Lake George, New York and the Old Orchard Beach Cruise and Car Show in Maine, didn't prevent auto enthusiasts from showing up and creating their own format to enjoy their vehicles and great weather at these two resort areas that this prolonged drought in the Northeast has delt us. However, the few surviving weekly cruise nights are now ending their season runs as the sunsets get earlier and earlier through the waning daylight hours of the fall equinox. Our cruise D.J. Bruce Palmer, faced with the cancellation of all his Sunday October car show events, arranged with his Wednesday Fredrickson Farm cruise hosts to continue the 2020 season by having Sunday afternoon cruises on October 18 & 25 (see pg.11 EVENTS) I have also been questioned at each of these late season events about a persistent rumor that our own Bass Pro Shops cruises are cancelled for good and will not be around in 2021. Every year there seems to be a new variant of this rumor, so for the record I am including the following excerpt from the recent email to cruise director Steve Huntington from our site host sponsor Patriot Place: Steve, We are in for 2021. Fingers crossed we can present the car show in bigger and better ways ☺ Hope you are well, Diana -------------------------------------Diana Griffin Director of Marketing Patriot Place
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun CRUIZN TO THE BOSTON POLO CLUB
Page 4
By Diane Thornton
Mass Cruisers line up in their reserved tailgate spots ahead of the Sunday 3 PM Boston Polo matches
An email to the Mass Cruisers Board of Directors last June from the owner of the Boston Polo Club, Mark Tashjian, generously invited the Mass Cruisers to enjoy the exciting sport of polo with their cars and fellow club members, all for free and all in the fresh open air. After months of COVID-19 quarantine restrictions this offer was a bright spot, so a dialogue was started with Mark and his managers, Shannon and Brittany. Up to a dozen cars with members were invited but only eight cars with members chose to enjoy a Sunday drive to Georgetown and experience polo matches and the celebrated polo tailgating scene! Sideline activity at any polo match includes the fun of tailgating. And there was a halftime exercise when all the spectators were invited onto the playing field to stomp down any divots kicked up by the ponies during the chukker. Our weather for the polo field was excellent, but a little windy, which forced individual tailgating dishes to collect and take cover in Mike and Lorna Rabbitt’s impressively spacious trunk! Cruisers could help themselves and mingle a bit before, during and after. Of course, we were aware of distancing, hand sanitizer and face masks! Casual meetings with other attendees, or dogs, or even a pony or two, were pleasant and welcomed. Many other spectators enjoyed having our member rides to admire…as we enjoyed admiring those horses. Some horses were even brought up to our cars for photo opportunities!
Diane & Dave Thorton set up the luncheon table between Bob & Anne Hines Ford Convertible and Mike & Lorna Rabbitt’s (framed right) Crowne Imperial whose spacious trunk was also filled with delicious snacks and luncheon offerings.
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 5
CRUIZN TO THE BOSTON POLO CLUB Continued from Page 4
Continued from Page 4 Since we were novice spectators, this was a great way to warm up to the sport. The senior level match between the Boston Polo WHITE & GREEN teams competed for a second match which was a lot faster with competitive players who were more seasoned in their skill level. The matches were broadcast from a speaker system across the field, so rules and etiquette were absorbed with the play-by-play announcing. Excitement really erupts when rider/horse duos challenge opposing team members by ‘riding them off’ (a player rides their pony alongside their opponent’s and attempts to move them away from the ball or even take them out of play). Players may also ‘bump’ the opposition, which is a physical maneuver akin to the body check in hockey. They may also hook an opponent’s stick when they are attempting to hit the ball. Fouls and penalty plays when the happened were less understood by us neophytes. Polo, played on horseback, is one of the oldest known sports in the world, thought to have originated over 2000 years ago. According to the U.S. Polo Association, the game as we know it today originated in India in the 1800s, where British The Boston Polo Club’s WHITE & GREEN teams are introduced
before taking the field for each Chukker match,
soldiers who were stationed there saw the game being played and adapted it for their own uses, often using it as training for cavalry riders. John Buchanan’s uncle was a WW1 cavalry sergeant who became a polo player in the 1920s in Newport, so his interest became familial nostalgia. For the rest of us, we watched with curious interest and awe from the sideline – not more than 15 feet away from the edge of the field. This was not the “horsepower” Mass Cruisers are used to. We relaxed in our lawn chairs as horse/rider combos competed on a 300 by 160-yard grass field swinging long bamboo mallets at a wooden ball on the turf below them – all while riding at speeds of up to 35 mph. The team with the highest score after 4 to 6 chukkers (periods), which each last 7.5 minutes of actual play, wins the game. Horses are changed between chukkers to keep them fresh for the next foray. We were there on an afternoon where two high school level junior polo club teams were the first match. THANKS Boston Polo Club had a great thought when they sought to invite us to their Georgetown, MA playing field. I’m glad we managed to make it into a club ride. It was memorable. And the good news is that we have been invited to return if we so desire. Unfortunately for any of the general public that would like to also experience a fall Sunday afternoon at a Boston Polo Club match, their season ends September 27, but log onto their website and perhaps make a note for attending the 2021 matches: https://www.bostonpolo.org/
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 6
Lake George without a Car Show By John Buchanan
2020 was to be the 35th Annual Adirondack Nationals Car Show, for the1,600 preregistered lucky car owners that received their confirmation registration packets beginning in March. Then we all got the sad news in July that the show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. And the host Albany Rods & Kustoms were planning for next year’s show to be held on September 9-12, 2021. Most of the Mass Cruisers that were pre-registered cancelled their booked accommodations and hunkered down with many of the regular show attendees. My son Jim, who had taken vacation that week, was attending with me for his first time so we decided to go to Lake George and enjoy this vacation doing all the touristy things and visiting all the historic sites that we would typically miss attending the car show. Bob and Ann Hines, who have attended this show for the past 20 years also decided to continue their annual vacation weekend habit and attend. The only difference for both of us was we were leaving the show cars home and see just how many other show car owners would turn the cancelled show into a weekend long cruise happening. And they did come in large enough numbers to creThursday afternoon outside the Fort William Henry ate a free weekend long cruising Hotel was as if a car show going to take place. car show for all to enjoy based upon the numbers of people setting up their chairs each day along Canada Street from Thursday through Saturday. What did the Mayor of Lake George Village think? Well he wasn’t too happy about how things turned out and the local newspaper headline on Monday said it all: “Unsanctioned car cruise causes 'mayhem' in Lake George” The problem, based on my limited experience, was the inability of the village to have an alternative plan for keeping unregistered Car Show vehicles from cruising on Canada Street after 6 PM as in past years. Much of the mayhem came from non-show vehicle owners that would normally not be registered at the car show. Everything should be back to normal in 2021 making this one the best weekend shows on your calendar. Burnouts, a common sight on Canada Street, kept the Sheriff's deputy’s busy all weekend Show cars make for wonderful eye candy at this cruise, but late model burnouts test law enforcement’s patience.
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 7
Lake George without a Car Show Continued from Page 6
The view of Lake George from atop Mount Prospect What the absence of the car show this year did for me and my son Jim was to offer up opportunities to experience the natural beauty The Lake George Steamboat Company viewed from Fort William Henry of the Adirondacks and discover the rich history this pre revolutionary war frontier played in the early Colonial America. To that end, we planned our morning and early afternoons, when the car show would normally be attended, for our touristy adventures. Thursday morning we took in the 18th Century history tour and demonstrations at Fort Henry William in Lake George. In the afternoon a 2 1/2 hour cruise on Lake George, islands and Firing of the canon from Fort William Henry narrows aboard the 113 year old Mohegan passenger vessel which is docked below the Fort along with sister ships, the paddle wheel steamship Minne-Ha-Ha and Hudson River Day Liner Lac du Saint Sacrement. Friday morning and afternoon we took the scenic drive north on 9N that follows the Lake George shoreline to Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Defiance to continue our history tour of the Revolutionary War period. It was also homeschool family week, so the Fort was filled with children and their parents. Saturday was reserved for the Ausable Chasm in Keesville/Port Kent area and a challenging four-mile hike into and through this awesome natural gorge. It was followed by a drive later in the afternoon to the top of Prospect Mountain overlooking Lake George, which was opened and free from fees due to COVID-19. Except for the wait lines outside restaurants due to seating limits at peak times, no daily maid service at the Surfside Resort and the wearing of masks, we never experienced any inconveniencing throughout our vacation.
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 8
Old Orchard Beach Cruise Photos By Neringa Bryant
SUNRISE AT OLD ORCHARD BEACH IN MAINE
No weekend show at Old Orchard Beach; no problem. Undaunted by the cancellation a number of Mass Cruisers didn’t cancel their reservations at the Edgewater Beach Hotel opting instead to take advantage of the great weather to enjoy some new and different adventures that the southern Maine coast has to offer in addition to the usual Friday afternoon brunch at the Brunswick, which had set up a COVID-19 outdoor dinning umbrellas on the beach, and the Saturday evening BYOB dinner at the Boardwalk Grille in nearby Ocean Park. On the agenda this year was a Friday afternoon shopping trip to the historic Way Way Store in Saco followed by a jaunt down the road to the River Winds Farm & Estate for some outdoor food seating with live entertainment while enjoying the gorgeous sunset over this 188 acre estate farm. Saturday after breakfast was independent time followed by watching the cornhole toss tournament at the Brunswick then dinner at SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE BOARDWALK GRILLE
JOHN RICKER DIANE THORTON & JOHN STURNIOLO
ANNIE HUNTINGTON & DIANE SHOP TIL DROP
HISTORIC WAY WAY STORE IN SACO
the Boardwalk Grille. Sunday concluded with the scenic U.S. Route 1 return drive home with stops at the Pigs Fly bakery in Kittery and lunch at the Gibbs Garage Grille in Portsmouth.
A STUNNING SUNSET WAS ENJOYED BY ALL AT THE RIVER ENDS FARM IN SACO
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Support Our Advertisers
Page 9
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 10
MEMBERS RUN VIRTUAL BOSTON MARATHON By Diane Thornton
Mass Cruisers Club members, Club secretary Lesley Corda-Majeski and Maureen Larkin, David Reavill’s wife, both ran the 124th Virtual Boston Marathon Experience on September 12th. Both were disappointed when the Boston Marathon was cancelled back in April due to COVID-19, so Lesley and Maureen decided to take part in the Boston Athletic Association’s offer to all registered runners to individually complete the 26.2 marathon distance continuously on the same day, and not broken up over several days or hours. Lesley created her 26.2 mile route consisting
Maureen Larkin raises her arms in victory as she finishes her 26.2 mile virtual marathon run.
John Ricker & Wayne Lestan with BeBe
of four loops around Walpole while Maureen completed the distance running from her home, also in Walpole, over the roads of Norwood and Westwood back to her home in Walpole while hubby David biked along with her over their planned 26.2 mile Route. Lesley finished her race to cheers of neighbors and friends and a chalk drawn finish line on the street created by her neighborhood families! Club members Wayne Lestan and John Ricker responded to the email I sent out to meet along Lesley’s route and cheer her on with me. No official finish times, however, both Lesley and Maureen are veteran Boston Marathon runners in addition to enjoying the automotive hobby as Mass Cruisers. Congratulations marathoners!
RI VETERANS HOME COVID-19 Musing UPDATE In last month’s COVID—19 Musing, RI Veteran Home resident Jack Choquette expressed frustration with the draconian measures the he and his fellow veterans were having to endure during the COVID-19 pandemic using terms such as “lock-down” and “caged in”. Jack sent us an email update that I want to pass along: “As of now we can order takeout food and have it delivered, pre-paid and delivered to a side door. The pool table is open but by appointment and only if an activities person is available to oversee. Visitation is back, only outside visits for now, and you have to call and make an appointment. Lastly and finally, packages can now be dropped off at the front. They will be held for 24 hours, so no ice cream. The 24 hours is to let the outside germs die off. I guess
Monthly Crusin
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 11
Cruisin’ at the speed of fun
Page 12
P.O. Box 217 Wrentham, MA 02093
Monthly Crusin