by Lorraine Payette, written June 7, 2014
(Gananoque, ON) The fiftieth anniversary of the Ford Mustang was just one reason to celebrate as the Lions Club of Gananoque held its annual Cruise-In in Town Park in Gananoque. The fields were full of cars and motorcycles from all over, live music by Jeff Callery and a Lions Club barbecue to feed all the hungry show attendees.
Mustang country“We have 26 adjudicated classes here today,” said Bryan Jones of the Lions. “We’re celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Ford Mustang with a whole collection of Mustangs from all different years out here today. We have Austin-Healeys, GTOs, there’s even a Hudson. And this year we also have a good number of motorcycles that have come in.”
“Last year it rained till about 9:30, we had six bikes,” said Dave. “This year we’re up to 20 that are being judged and there are probably another ten more here that are just taking in the event. Hopefully, the class will keep growing and next year we’ll have more.”
“We generally look at the overall appearance of a bike to see just how it appeals to us,” said Emery Grove, judge of the Motorcycle Competition. “Then we go through things like paint, chrome, detail and if they’ve customized it at all. Some of these bikes are extensively detailed, and some of them have put incredible options on them. When they put some of these things on, they have to take these bikes almost completely apart so there’s a lot of work involved in it. Remember, these bikes are driven on the street, so we want you to be sure to appreciate how clean and well kept they are.”
The quality and condition of the cars were no different. Great amounts of time, energy, love and money went into the upkeep and restoration of this amazing collection of vehicles. Winter is now officially over as all of the best toys came out to play.
Everything was on display, from Model T and Model A Fords through classic Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets – in short, if you could dream about it, it had come out to be a part of the show. Nearly 200 vehicles filled the park and lined the side streets surrounding it, giving visitors a chance to truly breathe in and enjoy that antique car fever.
Car fans of all ages were crowing with delight as each new sight appeared before them. One question transcended the language barrier for all – everyone understood when asked “Do you know which one you want to take home?”
“Yes!” “Oui!” “Si!” “Ja!”
Under the hood – my, how times have changed!Among the treats for the day were door prizes and dash plaques, as well as the Ray Mills, Best Pontiac, Mayor’s Choice and Can/Am Best of Show trophies.
Just two of the interesting vehicles at the show were a 1966 Sunbeam Tiger and a very rare 1931 Hudson Coupe 1. Vintage television fans would quickly recognize the Sunbeam as the original “Smart car”, driven by Maxwell Smart of “Get Smart” in the 1960s, and the Hudson as the vehicle most often stolen from the home of Jack Benny. Anywhere you looked, dozens of classically beautiful and unusual vehicles could be found.
The Cruise In ran from 9:00 a.m. until end of entertainment at 8:00 p.m.
“We know it’s going to keep right on getting bigger and better,” said one of the participants. “And we plan to keep right on cruising in.”
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