Cruising with the classics
More than 1000 classics cars take over the streets of Metro Moncton for 4-day festival
What if you went to a classic car cruise and didn't bring a car?
No problem, just hitch a ride.
That's what I did yesterday, and I got a chance to slide behind a the wheel of a big old Cadillac and a classic Chrysler in the process.
The Atlantic Nationals Automotive Extravaganza shifted into gear yesterday and hundreds of antique cars, custom cars, street rods and muscle cars got into the act with the Thursday morning fun cruise from Metro Moncton north to Kent County, along the Northumberland Strait coast to Shediac and back to Moncton.
It's hard to tell exactly how many cars took part in the run because they were spread out into small groups, but there was well over 200 cars, trucks and hot rods. More than 1,000 cars are expected to be in Metro Moncton over the weekend during the annual gathering of automotive aficionados from all over North America. They will be on display today along Main Street, and at Centennial Park Saturday and Sunday.
The sky was overcast and spit a few drops of rain at the intrepid car folks during breakfast yesterday at the Lion's Community Centre in Riverview. The course for the morning cruise has been laid out with explicit directions of where to turn and questions to answer based on landmarks seen along the way.
For the first leg of the journey north, I hopped in with Bob and Pat Klowak of Ontario for a scoot in their 1948 Ford "tudor" or two-door coupe, which has been modified with a Chevy small-block V-8 engine, power steering, power brakes and some other modern features.
Bob, a mechanical engineer, is president of the Canadian Street Rods Association and loves working on his car. He and Pat have been working on this car for several years and enjoy travelling to shows and meeting new people.
As we roll north along the back roads, Pat sits in the back with one eye on her knitting and another on landmarks along the route. The first question on the directions is "what institution is located at 333 Gorge Road?" The answer is Atlantic Baptist University.
As we drive, the conversation rolls from safety in home-built street rods to the bad reputation street-racing kids have had on more mature street rod owners who use their cars for travelling in their retirement. We talk about safety inspections, the differences between New Brunswick and Ontario, and the differences in laws. Did you know that in Ontario, the police can fine people for having a licence plate labelling a car as an "antique" when it really isn't? Or that cars in Ontario need only be safety inspected when they are sold? He says the New Brunswick system is preferable because it forces safety inspections once a year, which means everyone is safer on the highways. His organization has trained individuals who safety-inspect every vehicle in the shows it sanctions.
Bob and Kay have travelled to shows all over Michigan, Vermont and other parts of the U.S. and say the Moncton show is their all-time favourite, mainly because of the variety of events -- the street party, the dance, the socializing along the road -- and the hospitality of people in the Maritimes who make outsiders feel welcome.
They say owning a classic car doesn't mean you have to be rich. Some people in the hobby have lots of money and pour it into their vehicles to win prizes, but others don't mind getting their cars dirty or travelling on bumpy roads. In the end, says Kay, it all comes down to long-lasting friendships among people who share a common love of cars.
"It doesn't matter if you are a bricklayer or a neurologist, they both speak the same language and love cars so they are going to be friends," says Kay. People can spend thousands of dollars to win prizes, or go economical and have fun. You can have a car and spend very little and enjoy yourself."
As the wagon train of shiny show cars passes through tiny cottage villages along the Northumberland Strait coast, people stand by their driveways and take photos, or wave from their front porches. Little boys on bicycles wave and cheer as the Mustangs, Corvettes and Cadillacs roll by and beep their horns.
We turn into the first stop, the wharf at Cap-de-Cocagne and step out to stretch our legs in the cool, salty breeze off the strait. There is distinct fishy odour from the processing plant nearby and the workers seem oblivious to all the commotion as they use a forklift to load machinery onto a trailer.
I have barely taken a few steps away from the Ford when I spot a big old Cadillac with British Columbia licence plates. It belongs to Myron and Laurie Feniuk of Vernon, B.C. It's a 1956 Caddy convertible and Myron has owned it for 42 years.
"He bought it when the car was 10 and he was 20, and he always said one day I'm going to retire with this car," Laurie says.
The couple used the car on their wedding day in 1970 and are celebrating their 38th anniversary with a cruise across the country. They restored it in 2005 and have put more than 16,000 miles on it. The car blew an engine about a month ago, but they had it repaired in Moncton as they took a rental for a spin around Nova Scotia. They've been on the road for two months and plan to be travelling for at least two more months before they get home to B.C. Laurie says they traded their Air Miles for gas, so they are in a way driving for free.
"I saw a bumper sticker that said 'It's not the miles per gallon, it's the smiles per gallon, and that's my new motto,'" she says, explaining that they spent many years raising children with special needs and now is their time to enjoy retirement.
The car is decked out with some fancy vintage stuff, like an RCA Victor record player that plays old 45-rpm singles. The needle hits the spinning record from the bottom so it doesn't skip. I lean in to get a photo of the record player and the vintage copy of the Rolling Stones Satisfaction, trying to get the angle with the camera, when Laurie jokes, "do you want to get in the back seat (for a better view with the camera)?" Without thinking, I can't help but joke back: "It's been a while since a lady asked me into the back seat."
We all get a good laugh. Laurie says she's been asked quite a few times if the back seat could tell stories, but "it can't, we had it replaced."
Just fun on the road. The cloudy skies have thinned out and the sun is turning the day into a hot one, especially for those of us in old cars with no air conditioning. Time to roll down the windows and enjoy that good cool salt air.
For the next stretch of the road, I hitch a ride in another Cadillac. This one is owned by with Rick and Eleanor Masters of Truro, N.S. As we roll along Highway 530 to Shediac, Rick tells me the story of his Caddy.
It seems the couple were originally from the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia and moved into a house in Truro next door to an eccentric old man named Henry Redden. Henry had purchased the Caddy from the original owner, M.C. Urquhart, who bought it new for about $3,300 in 1953. As the story goes, Henry was getting older years and it was said he would sell the Cadillac for $10,000. But one day Henry saw Eleanor outside working to restore an old sewing machine. Apparently he was so impressed he offered to sell her the Cadillac for $5,000. She took his offer immediately and that's why the car is in her name. She had the registration switched over that afternoon while Rick was at work.
That was in 1991 and the Masters' have been enjoying the car ever since. It is all original and runs like a charm with only 47,000 miles on it.
Without missing a beat, Rick asks me if I want to drive for a while.
Well, sure.
So we switch places and I slide into the big bench seat behind a steering wheel that might as well be off the Queen Mary and look over the chromed instrument panel. The first thing that hits you is there are no seat belts or side mirrors on this big machine. Slide the tree-mounted gear selector into drive and ease down on the pedal and the big 331 cubic-inch V8 with 210 horsepower lurches into motion. The big Caddy floats like a boat on these back roads between Cocagne and Shediac, requiring only the occasional nudge on the wheel to keep it on track. But if you want to stop, give yourself some time. The drum brakes on these big machines are a far cry from the power binders of today and you have to basically stand on the brake to get the thing to slow down. It's a good thing to leave a few car lengths between you and the vehicle ahead of you.
As we cruise along, Eleanor says they want to keep the Caddy in its original condition and the previous owner wanted to have it "crushed, burned and buried" if it didn't go to a good home after his demise.
"Henry wanted it to go to someone that would take care of it, drive it and enjoy it. And he wanted the car to stay the way it was made without any changes, so I think he's up there smiling at us," Rick says.
As we reach the Big Lobster in Shediac, the cars line up for another break. Organizers of the cruise offer to get me a ride with Shirley Ellison, a retired lady from Peabody, Massachusetts who is driving a 1950 Mercury custom built by her late husband Bob. Her husband passed away four years ago, but she still loves to visit Moncton and meet up with old friends.
"I spent my summers at a farm in McKee's Mills (just outside of Moncton). My heart is here and I wall always have good memories of New Brunswick."
But the back seat in Shirley's car is filled with luggage, water bottles and other stuff. Not wanting her to shift her cargo around for me, I hitch a ride back into town with Atlantic Nationals organizer Rick Wood in his 1949 Willys Jeepster.
Back in Riverview, the car owners gather at the marina for a barbecue put on by Larry Northrup and the crew at Toys For Big Boys. The parking lot next to the soccer fields is filled with classic Studebakers, Pontiacs, Fords, Chevrolets and many other cars.
After the barbecue, people are standing in line for a chance to meet Chip Foose, the artist, car designer and TV host who is this year's guest celebrity. Foose is eager to please the folks by signing their shirts, hats and even dashboards of their cars.
Among those who get their dashboards signed is John Jones of Orland, Maine, who is driving a 1964 Dodge Custom 880 wagon that he customized into a "surfmobile" complete with surfboards on the roof. The surfboards actually have little brake lights built into them.
John and Cindy have come to the show every year since its inception, but missed it last year because he was undergoing cancer treatment. With the cancer now in remission, John is enjoying his summer of healthy freedom. It's time for me to head back to the office, so John offers me a ride, and goes one better.
"You want to drive?"
Of course.
So I slip into the big bench seat of this Chrysler boat and John instructs me on how to get it into gear. It's got a push-button shift so you have to slide the parking brake over, then push the reverse button to move it back, then drive to move forward. A novel concept and all the rage for Chryslers of the early 1960s vintage.
As we roll away, I realize there's a common bond between the people who come to this thing called the Atlantic Nationals in Moncton. Everyone I've talked to says they love coming to Moncton because of our friendliness, hospitality and laid-back attitude toward life. And I'd say that's a pretty good reputation to have with people on the road, and others looking for a vacation destination.
The Atlantic Nationals continues today through Sunday, with displays on Main Street and Centennial Park. Today's big events include the downtown parade of classic vehicles into the closed-off Main Street and a downtown street party complete with live bands tonight.
n For more information on the Atlantic Nationals, visit the website at www.atlanticnationals.com, and see tomorrow's Times & Transcript for more stories and photos from the festival. For additional photos, visit our website at www.canadaeast.com., and look for the online photo gallery.
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