Mayor Gray's Carriagetown

July 1, 2018 — I've passed up many car shows because of bad weather, but that usually means rain. In fact, I've even seen a few snowflakes at early spring or late fall shows. But for the first time I was having second thoughts about attending Mayor Gray's Carriagetown Car Show in Amesbury, Massachusetts because of the heat forecast. Meteorologists were predicting temperature in the 90s, with high humidity making it feel like 100 degrees or over. This was the beginning of a withering heat wave that would continue for a week.

But I went to the show, and amazed myself at my own stamina. The show was held in hilly downtown Amesbury with cars scattered over closed streets, parking lots, coves and every place where they can fit a few cars. You're constantly walking up and down hill and you have to be careful not to miss any of the hidden pockets.

In spite of the heat, the show drew well over 200 cars and was swarming with spectators. I arrived before 9 a.m. and stayed for the trophy presentation at 1:30 p.m., with one brief, restorative break for lunch at air-conditioned Flatbreads. Pictures are slightly dulled by heat haze, but take a look. There were some outstanding cars and a few scenes around the attractive Amesbury downtown:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/carriagetown2018/