Antique Vehicle Meet & Tour

October 19, 2024 — My final show of the the 2024 car show season ended, as many of them have, at the Tyngsboro-Dunstable Historical Society's Little Red School House & Field in Dunstable, Massachusetts. It was a perfect day, a bit on the cool side, but after all we're now in the middle of October in the Northeast.

Sponsored by the Bean Pot Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), the show always features a wide variety of automobile classes, from the brass era through 20-year-old models. This year's show was one of the largest I've seen at the School House, the fine weather this fall no doubt encouraging many owners to keep their valuable antiques on the road longer.

Appropriate for a fall show, hot dishes are served in the School House, built in 1798. Baked beans, chili, and of course the mandatory burgers and hot dogs are on the menu. There's also a mouth-watering selection of desserts.

This link will take you to my photos and a couple of videos from this show, the last one you'll see from me until next spring:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/beanpot2024/

Shaker Village Car Show

October 12, 2024 — The stretch of beautiful weather, the best of the car show season, continues into the fall, except on this day high wind gusts had us hanging onto our hats. But bright sun made the Shaker Village Vintage Car Show in Canterbury, New Hampshire a photographer's dream. The location makes for a great photographic venue, with the old Shaker buildings, gardens, and ponds forming a backdrop for the cars.

The show always features high-quality antique cars, and you can be assured of seeing many you haven't seen before. Note-worthy this year was a stunning 1932 Packard and a collection of beautifully restored trucks. The usual gathering of Model A Fords appeared again this year. Live entertainment was provided by the Bel Airs, taking us back to the '50s with their doo-wop songs.

Guided tours of the Shaker buildings and grounds are available on a separate admission. I would advise allowing another day for that. Taking in the car show and tour in one day would do neither justice.

My photos and a couple of videos can be seen at this  link:

 https://www.linwoodstreet.com/shakercars24/

Castle Car Show

October 5, 2024 — Castle Car Show at Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, New Hampshire is a show I always look forward to. It's held in one of the most scenic spots of any New Hampshire car show, the fields just below Lucknow Castle, a stately mansion, one of the state's major tourist attractions. It always hosts a wide variety of vehicle classes, foreign and domestic.

I have wished many times that they'd bring the show back to July as it was before 2020, the year of the pandemic. At that time, the nearby stables were open, and riders on horseback and horses pulling wagons were seen most of the day on a road bordering the car show field, a nice additional photo op. On the other hand, it can get very hot in July in the Ossipee Mountains.

Anyway, it looks like it's going to be permanently in October, the stables are closed and the horses gone, but it's cooler and colorful autumn leaves provide a nice backdrop for car photos. You can see my coverage of this year's show at:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/castle2024/

Carriagetown Car Show

September 28, 2024 —The Carriagetown Car Show in Amesbury, Massachusetts, enjoyed a warm, partly cloudy day for this year's show. The entire downtown area of the photogenic city is turned over to show cars as they line streets and fill a park, all on a day when many excellent restaurants are open. No truck food at this show.

Amesbury has a hilly downtown where in some places stairways take you up and down the different levels. The Powwow River tumbles down in a long waterfall through the downtown center, and it's bordered by walking paths and observation areas. You might just find you're taking more photos of landmarks than cars.

Click or touch the following link to view my photos of this season's show, and if you have time, find past Carriagetown shows on my site to see more of a unique New England car show.

 https://www.linwoodstreet.com/carriagetown2024/

Stratham Hill Car and Bike Show

September 22, 2024 — The Stratham Hill Car and Bike Show in Stratham, New Hampshire, presented by Boy Scout Troop 185, seemed to be in serious decline since COVID in 2020. Attendance was down, selection of vehicles was skimpy, and I was fearful of its ability to continue. But I decided to remain loyal to one of my favorite New Hampshire car shows and have returned each year. I'm happy to report this year it seemed to be fully recovered from its malaise. The field was filled nearly to capacity with a variety of  vehicles, a live band was on the stage, and a good crowd of enthusiastic spectators showed up.

Boy Scout Troop 185 manages many aspects of the show, directing show car parking, serving lunch, and handing out trophies at the end of the show. It was good to see everything back to normal. You can view my coverage at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/stratham24/

Rye Lions Car Show

September 15, 2024 — The Rye Lions Car Show in Rye, New Hampshire, on its 41st anniversary, hosted its usual collection of very high-quality cars, thanks in part to contributions of a few cars by restorers Bayberry Vintage Autos of Hampton, NH, and Competition Motors of Portsmouth, NH. The show also draws many classic Packards, Cadillacs and Lincolns, all beautifully restored to original condition.

You'll also find an assortment of customs, a section devoted to imports, and another to trucks. Take a look at one of New Hampshire's finest antique car shows at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/rye24/

Kiwanis Antique and Classic Car Show

September 7, 2024 — The 37th annual Kiwanis Club Antique and Classic Car Show was held once again at NHTI — Concord's Community College. It was my 12th visit since 2010 to this show. Like other shows, this one has been a little slow to fully recover from the pandemic year of 2020. But this year saw definite improvement over last, featuring good turnout and variety of vehicles, many I hadn't seen before. The NHTI campus is an excellent venue for a car show, and the college is generous to offer their facilities year after year.

The show offers a better than average food selection. An ample number of picnic benches are available so everyone may sit down for lunch, a luxury many shows fall short of. A quiet, tree-lined pond at the edge of the show field offers respite. It's a day well-spent.

You can see my photographic coverage of the show at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/kiwanis24/