603 Brewery Cars & Coffee

October 4, 2020 — The 603 Brewery Socially Distanced Cars & Coffee, a relatively small show in the brewery's parking lot in Londonderry, New Hampshire, was almost certainly my last show of the pandemic-inhibited 2020 season. The show had the strongest uniformed presence I had seen. Police and other uniformed personnel were everywhere, communicating on walkie-talkies and keeping a close watch on cars and spectators. Conspicuous signs were posted declaring masks and social distancing were required, and I have no doubt it would have been enforced if necessary. The show featured a good variety of cars, old and new, classic and custom. Highlight was a 1932 Pierce-Arrow coupe driven only 35,000 miles.

Back in the spring, it looked as though the entire season would be a wash-out with major shows being canceled everywhere. But weekly cruise nights and cars and  coffee shows saved the season from being a total loss. Late in the season, as we learned more about how to protect ourselves from disease, some bigger shows appeared, like Deerfield Fairgrounds, Castle in the Clouds and an exhibit at the Audrain Automobile Museum in Rhode Island. Still, it was far from a normal season.

I have a hunch we'll be wearing masks and social distancing through the winter and possibly into next spring and summer, but I feel we learned something about how to be safe in gatherings, especially outdoors, and with careful planning, car shows and all the other activities we've sorely missed this year can be revived, even if COVID-19 insists on hanging around.

My photos of the 603 Brewery show:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/603brewery/

Castle Car Show

October 3, 2020 — The Castle Car Show, hosted by Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough, New Hampshire and sponsored by TMS Architects, originally scheduled for July, was postponed to October because of COVID-19. When I first heard of this postponement, I figured we could kiss this show good-bye for this season. I had seen so many other shows postponed, only to eventually be canceled, I prepared myself for another disappointment. But happily they were able to keep their promise on this one.

Held on broad meadows just below Castle in the Clouds, a major New Hampshire tourist attraction, surrounded by low mountains and next to a pristine pond, with a riding stable nearby and horses and riders frequently passing by the perimeter of the show fields, it offers many photo ops besides the cars. Being in October instead of its usual July date, trees were beginning to show their fall colors. The horses, alas, were nowhere to be seen, apparently removed to warmer climes for the winter.

As always, the show featured some rare Packards, Duesenbergs, and other classics, along with other American and imported antiques and custom jobs. It was easily the best show of this abbreviated season, and I don't expect it to be topped with only one more show on my 2020 schedule. My photo coverage can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/castle2020/

Audrain Automobile Museum

September 27, 2020 — The title of the Audrain Automobile Museum's current exhibit is From the Racetrack to the Opera: Marques That Did It All. Italy was well-represented by Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Alfa Romeo and OSCA. (What do you mean. you never heard of OSCA?) A couple of Delahayes were France's contribution. Two Jaguars were Old Blighty's entry. From the USA there were two Duesenbergs and a pair of Chevrolets. There were passenger cars and racers for each of the featured makes, all in beautiful condition.

The Audrain is located in Newport, Rhode Island. They are currently open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day, and they require masks and social distancing. These restrictions don't inconvenience spectators in the least in the spacious museum which rarely attracts large crowds.

Click this link to view my photos of every car in the collection, and to learn what an OSCA is:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/audrain2020/

Pontiac Day and Trail Winders

September 19, 2020 — This two-shows-per-day is getting to be routine. I started this Saturday at Pontiac Day presented by Nor-Eastern Pontiac-Oakland Club and hosted by North East Motor Sports Museum in Loudon, New Hampshire. In this 25th year of the show, a record 101 cars were counted. That's a remarkable total for a show dedicated to one make. You can find ample variety within the Pontiac family, from the luxurious Grand Prix and Bonneville to personal and muscle cars like the Firebird, Trans Am, GTO, LeMans and Fiero. Pontiac, of course, is no longer with us, having been dropped by General Motors in 2010. But the brand has a loyal following that keeps the cars running and in fine condition.

I left the the Pontiac show and drove to Epsom where the Fort Mountain Trail Winders Club Car Show was underway in Webster Park and featured a wide-ranging variety from customs, street rods and muscle cars to the classics I love like Packard, Cadillac, Bentley and others.

My series on Show #1 can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/pontiacday/

Show #2 is available for your viewing pleasure at:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/webster/

Another 2-Show Day

September 13, 2020 — For the second time this season, the timing and distances made it possible to take in two shows in the same day. The first was the American Legion Post 11 Car Show, where show cars parked on a baseball field in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Not the biggest show of the season, but it featured a few relatively rare examples, including a 1958 Edsel Convertible, a 1948 Chrysler New Yorker, 1940 Packard and assorted muscle cars, street rods and racers. Next to the car show, the Legion set up a small gathering of military vehicles.

After leaving the Legion show, I headed to the town of Weare for the Weare Center Gazebo Car Show. A good turnout of cars of all descriptions was arranged in circles in an attractive park with the gazebo in the center. This show also featured a few rarities like a 1939 Mercury beautifully restored by two women and a collection of Ford products from the '50s.

It was a full day, and things seem to be steadily improving in the car show world as we learn more about how to keep safe in this season of COVID-19. My pictures of the American Legion gathering can be see at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/legion/

Coverage of the Weare Gazebo show is at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/weare/