Two Shows in One Day

June 21, 2020 — It probably seems petty to complain about canceled car shows in this bleak season of coronovirus when many have suffered debilitating illness and families are grieving lost love ones. In New Hampshire we have been relatively untouched by the pandemic, with daily new cases mostly in the thirties, and many days go by with no deaths reported. Still, our antique car hobby takes us to other states hit harder by COVID-19 that have caused mass cancellations of shows, some as far in the future as the fall.

But small shows and cruise nights are making a comeback in New Hampshire, and on a blistering hot Sunday I actually got to see two shows in the same day. In the morning, I went to a show in Derry hosted by Southern New Hampshire Cars and Coffee. Held in a shopping center with ample parking, I'd estimate about 100 cars showed up, attracting hordes of spectators.

I came home for lunch and a break from the heat, then went to a show hosted by NH Muscle Cars at Dream Works Muscle and Classics in Manchester. I think this show had even more cars than the morning show in Derry. Besides the car show, spectators were invited inside the Dream Works shop where we could see cars in various stages of restoration. Burgers were grilled and cold soft drinks were available. The show ended with trophy presentation.

Both shows were on hot, paved parking lots with no trees, no shade, no shelter. The temperature reached 93 degrees in the afternoon, more common in July and August than June. Good social distancing was forgotten by many and a majority went unmasked, but if you're conscientious about avoiding infection, you can wear a mask, carry hand sanitizer and make your own space. It's not hard to be safe at a car show.

My photos of the Derry show, mostly new and late models, can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/carsandcoffee/

The Dream Works show, dominated by muscle cars, also mostly newer models but with a few antiques, are at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/dreamworks/

NH Muscle Cars at Murphy's

June 14, 2020 — Cruise nights are making a slow comeback. I'm holding out hope a few of the big weekend shows can be salvaged before time runs out this season. The NH Muscle Car Club held a cruise night at Murphy's Taproom in Bedford, New Hampshire. Fine weather brought out more than 100 cars, completely filling Murphy's main parking area.

This was predominantly a muscle car show, not one of my favorite categories, so I didn't take a lot of pictures. Also, muscle car enthusiasts are gearheads who love engines, so there were many hoods raised which I feel makes a poor picture. There were a few old standards like a 1958 Oldsmobile and a 1950 Dodge, both restored to their original glory. Also a 1974 Hurst/Olds with an interesting history.

Some of the cars I found most appealing, or at least most interesting, can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/taproom/

Andres Sculpture Park

June 7, 2020 — With the car show season mostly wiped out by COVID-19 this season, I'm looking for other photo ops. I was unaware of the Andres Sculpture Park in Brookline, New Hamphsire, only a 40-minute drive from my home, until I read an article about it in the New Hampshiire Sunday News. With more than 100 sculptures by artists from all over the world scattered throughout the park's heavily-wooded mountainside, it sounded irresistible.

It would take eight hours or more to cover the entire park with its narrow footpaths, strewn with rocks and criss-crossed with tree roots. So I divided it up into two days of a little over three hours each. I didn't get to see all the sculptures, but I found about 75