Cruising Downtown 2026

September 5, 2026 — Manchester, New Hampshire's 25th season of Cruising Downtown, hosted by the Rotary Club, was held the Saturday of Labor Day weekend as usual. It has now grown to possibly the biggest car show in New Hampshire and one of the biggest in New England, often hosting 1,000 cars and at least once slightly more. However, this year's show may have been diminished slightly by threatening clouds and forecasts of spot showers.

There was one brief shower during the show. Many convertibles had their tops lowered but I didn't notice any rush to put them up. Unfortunately, it caused me to decline to walk out on the long Notre Dame Bridge across the Merrimack River where many more cars were on display, almost another car show. I didn't think getting caught in a surprise shower on the bridge would be a good idea, more concerned with keeping my camera dry than myself. At least, in town you could duck into a doorway for shelter.

But it was the second highest number of cars I photographed at a show this season, the highest so far being Misselwood. You can view my photos at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/cruising2026/ 

 

 

Cool & Classic Car Show

August 22, 2026 — This has to be the longest title for a car show I've seen in the 20 years I've been doing this: NH's Cool & Classic Car Show at the Bark in the Park Wag Around the World Festival. It was held at Rollins Park in Concord, New Hampshire and combined dogs and cars for those two interest groups.

It wasn't exactly a dog show but more like an invitation to bring your dog to a craft fair to accompany you while you shopped and explored. There were dozens of booths, many but not all canine related. The park was divided into sections named for the major continents, and K9 police demos. A small car show was isolated from the dog show.

Photography of dogs was difficult because they were constantly moving as their owners explored, but I managed to get photos of some of the most interesting breeds. See how many you can identify. I felt right at home in the cars section, dominated by Corvettes, but there were a few other makes. My specialty is photographing stationary objects which dogs are definitely not. But I got some video of dogs and police action in the K9 demos.

You can at least partially satisfy your passion for dogs or cars, or both, at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/coolandclassic/ 

Southern NH Snow Slickers

August 15, 2026 — If you're a brass era and classics fan, as I am, you won't find any Duesenbergs, Pierce Arrows or Locomobiles at this show, but you will find lots of color, humor, some fine examples of the cuistomizers' art, and a few old standards. Oh, and you might spot a Model A.

It was my second weekend in a row at the sprawling Deering Fairgrounds in Deering, New Hampshire. Last weekend the fairgrounds hosted Salute the Troops, dedicated to the very worthy cause of our veterans. There was a relatively small gathering of veterans' cars. This weekend the Southern NH Snow Slickers Car Show, a much larger gathering of cars, trucks and motorcycles, held forth. The Slickers being a snowmobile club, there was also an exhibit of snowmobiles, but I'm not ready for that yet. This summer went by so quickly I sometimes feel as though I missed it completely.

But I'll have my pictures to look at any time and reminisce, and so will you. My coverage of this weekend's show can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/snowslickers/ 

 

Salute the Troops

August 8, 2026 — Salute the Troops Charity Car Show at the Deerfield Fairgrounds in Deerfield, New Hampshire was dedicated to the cars, products, memorabilia, service and support for veterans. An enormous American flag and star-spangled gate greeted car owners as they entered the field. Row upon row of booths were manned by veterans.

No one is more deserving of our support and participation than the veterans. I was pleased to see a huge turnout to support them. I captured some of it in pictures you can view at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/salutetroops26/ 

Kingston Heritage Day

August 1, 2026 — Kingston Heritage Day was held on the Kingston Plains, a long, relatively narrow, grass-covered field between two highways in Kingston, New Hampshire, a well-attended although not record-breaking car show in another weekend of near-perfect weather. The variety of vehicle types was better than average, featuring cars and trucks of many styles from the '20s to early 2000s.

At the end of the series, I've included a half dozen photos of the awarding of the Boston Post Cane and certificate to a gentleman who is currently the oldest resident of Kingston (he's exactly ten years older than I am).

See it all at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/kingstonheritage26/ 

"She Loves Me"

July 25, 2026 — I was surprised to find I just wasn't inspired by She Loves Me at the Barnstormers in Tamworth, New Hampshire. Neither was the audience it seemed. Dialog led into songs in a way unusual in musicals. The songs got brief, polite applause just because experienced theater-goers know what's expected of us.

When Americans think musical play, they imagine Oklahoma, South Pacific, A Chorus Line, etc. She Loves Me is set in Hungary featuring Hungarian characters with Hungarian names, in a style not familiar to Americans.

The show comes with impressive credentials. With book by Joe Masterofff, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, it premiered on Broadway in 1963 and ran for 301 performances, then was produced in the West End and received awards on both sides of the Atlantic. It became somewhat of a cult classic. It inspired the 1998 movie, You've Got Mail.

But a change took place near the end of Act 1. There were a few good laugh lines, the energy level went up, the audience responded positively. In Act 2 the songs were getting prolonged, noisy applause and cheers. There were some well-choreographed dance numbers. I came away feeling this was a great show! So did the rest of the audience.

The show takes place in a Budapest parfumerie (perfume and beauty products). Georg (Andrew O'Shanick), an assistant manager and Amalia (Selene Klasner with a terrific voice), constantly bickering at work, are unaware of another dimension of their relationship which I've chosen not to divulge in this review, even though it's well-known. Sorry, no spoiler alerts from me!

Also in the very talented cast were Will McGarrahan as Mr. Maraczek, the shop owner; Scott Cote as Ladislav Sipos, a salesman who believes Georg and Amalia unknowingly like each other; Jacob Erdody as Arpad Laszlo, a delivery boy; Aimee Doherty as Ilona Ritter who's having an affair with Steven Kodaly, played by Lee Hollis Bussie.

Also appearing were Hannah Nye, Jordan Eagle, Sophie Pankhurst, Michael Jennings Mahoney and Alex Jorth. I have to give special mention to Doug Shapiro, a Barnstormers favorite and certainly one of mine. He's the only actor that got his own round of applause from the Barnstormers regulars when he appeared on stage. His part in this production was minor, his character didn't even have a name, but he was important to the play.

Ilyse Robbins was director/choreographer for this production, a very impressive achievement. Michael Ursua was music director. Jane Howland's scenic designs produced some beautiful stage sets. Clara Jean Kelly designed costumes.

Talent was the keyword for this production. Strong talent in all areas. 

 

Misselwood Concours d'Elegance

July 19, 2026 — I didn't attend the Misselwood Concours d'Elegance at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts last year, as I remember because of inclement weather. I was there in 2024 and was somewhat disappointed in the show. I didn't have high expectations for this year's show, but I was pleasantly surprised. It came roaring back with one of the best shows in years, augmented by perfect summer weather.

Beautifully restored classics like Pierce-Arrow, Packard, Rolls-Royce and Duesenberg filled the field behind the Misselwood House overlooking the Atlantic. Misselwood was featuring "orphan" cars this year and there were more names I never heard of than I usually see in an entire season. They were also featuring the cars of Chrysler and there were several fine examples of the 300 lettered series, as well as a 1957 Chrysler Ghia Super Dart 400, the likes of which I had never seen.

I've included a couple of videos scanning the field, along with 82 photos, making this the most picture-productive show I've covered so far this season. You can see it all at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/misselwood26/ 

 

 

 

 

Classic Auto Show at the Aviation Museum

July 18, 2026 — You can't help but notice the featureless, gray-stained skies in these pictures. That's smoke from wild fires in Canada. It hung over large areas of the United States for several days. There was also a forecast of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Not an inviting prospect. I think it kept many away from the Classic Auto Show at the Aviation Museum in Londonderry, New Hampshire.

But those who ignored the ugly skies and threatening forecast got to see a small collection of interesting vehicles, just not as many as we expect at this annual show, and the thunderstorms held off until the show was over. My photographic choices can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/aviation2026/ 

BSAAC Car Show

July 12, 2026 — On my 14th visit in 17 years, possibly more than any other, to the Bay State Antique Automobile Club show at the Endicott estate in Dedham, Massachusetts, I captured the most photos of any show so far this season.

However, the show is still well below attendance in its best years. A select few of the finest cars always had a prominent position on the front lawn, directly in front of the Endicott mansion. This is where you saw the Pierce-Arrows, Packards and Duesenbergs. This year there was a 1928 fire engine that had been there last year in the truck section. Other than that, there was an Edsel and a Mercury. Beautifully restored cars, but not exceptional. Only a 1932 Buick reminded me of better days.

The club does a good job of grouping vehicles by class. There's a custom section, an Oldsmobile section,  a brass era section and a truck section, but some of these sections are disappearing as declining participation is making it more difficult to fill them. The largest section for one make is always the Cadillac section.

It's still a good show in spite of my complaints. You can view my photographic production at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/endicott2026/

Sullivan's 250th Celebration of America

July 11, 2026 — Yes, there's a small town named Sullivan in New Hampshire. There's also a Sullivan County, but that's not where the town of Sullivan is. The town is in Cheshire Country. Both are named for John Sullivan, a Revolutionary War general and New Hampshire governor.

Now that we've got that trivia out of the way, let's have a look at the town of Sullivan's 250th Celebration of America with patriotic observances, food and craft sales, and a car show. It being a farm community, there was also a collection of beautifully restored tractors.

This is small town America at its most charming. Have a look at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/sullivancelebration/

Wolfeboro Lions Car Show

July 5, 2026 — Ending the three-day Fourth of July weekend and a brutal heat wave found us at the Wolfeboro Lions Club Car Show in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Wolfeboro, on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, lays claim to the title "The Oldest Summer Resort in America."

Not a large show, but there were some exceptional vehicles. I tried to select some of the best for these web pages. You can have a look at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/wolfeboro26/

Wicked Big Car & Truck Nationals

June 27, 2026 — New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon hosted the show called Wicked Big Car & Truck Nationals. The sprawling speedway is easy to get lost in, with tunnels dividing two sections. This show was comprised mostly of customs, some professionally produced, and specialty cars and trucks.

The day was bright and sunny, somewhat hard to find so far this spring and early summer. Cars were being thrown into spin-outs on one track all day, filling the area with the sound of screeching tires. Besides a brief video of this crazed activity, beneficial only to the tire sellers, I tried to find the most interesting vehicles, and there were many, including a couple of trucks as big as small houses.

You can see the results of my efforts at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/wickedcar/index.htm

 

Topsfield Auto Show

June 13, 2026 — It was a busy day in the town of Topsfield, Massachusetts. A car show was held on the spacious and attractive grounds of the Congregational Church while just across the street the Strawberry Festival was going on in the Town Common.

The 300-year-old church made an attractive centerpiece for the car show which offered a good variety of classics from the '40s on up, a few trucks and a custom here and there. Another impressive building overlooking the show was the 1873 Topsfield Town Hall.

In the Strawberry Festival across the street many craft booths offered a variety of locally made products, some farm machinery, a live band and delicious strawberry shortcakes that kept people lined up to sample them all day.

You can see some of the action at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/topsfield/

 

Goffstown and Marlborough

June 6-7, 2026 — I thought the weekend was lost. Right up until Friday all the meteorologists were predicting heavy rain and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. They couldn't have been more wrong. Saturday was muggy with a thin cloud cover most of the day, but no rain. The Goffstown Rotary Car Show in Goffstown, New Hampshire, took advantage of the unexpected dry weather and hosted a large turnout of cars and spectators. This and Bow Rotary are a couple of my must-see shows to start off every season. A lot of the same cars show up year after year and it's difficult to find cars I haven't photographed before, so I try to make up for the repetition with different photographic compositions.

Sunday was even better with bright sun, occasionally blocked by puffy white clouds, at the Marlborough Main Street Care Show in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Marlborough is turning into a primarily custom and personal car show, much bigger than Goffstown Rotary but I had trouble finding more variety. But it's still great show in a very photogenic downtown with its city hall tower and the ornate First Baptist Church anchoring one end of Main Street. A marching band comes through once at every show, scattering the crowd. This year Heather Storm, television host, producer, director and car expert, greeted spectators and posed for pictures with them.

You can see my coverage of Goffstown Rotary Car Show at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/goffstown2026/

And Marlborough Main Street Car Show at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/marlborough26/

May 20, 2016 — Good turnout for the Bow Rotary Car Show in Bow, New Hampshire, hosted by the Rotary Club. It was the first warm, summer-like day of the season in a cool, wet spring so far. There were some exceptional imports and a good selection of American brands, vintage as well as nearly new.

Bow Rotary is a relatively small show I often begin the season with. It draws many of the same cars year after year, and I refrained from photographing some I have shot many times before. Still, I came away with 55 photos, not a bad score. You can see those I admired most at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/bowrotary26/

Blizzard of '26

February 23, 2026 — It was nearing the end of the coldest winter in about a decade. There was no January thaw, no breaks from the relentless cold. Snow was frequent, but in the 2 to 5-inch range for the most part, until this one. Once again, terms like "Bomb Cyclone" and "Bombogenesis" were being bandied about to describe the brutality of the storm. Snow was coming down at a rate of 4 inches per hour at its greatest intensity. Snow depths exceeded three feet in some communities. 

The storm blitzed New York before moving north into New England. Hardest hit were southeastern Massachusetts, the Cape and Rhode Island. Comparisons to the Blizzard of '78 were inevitable. In 2026, Providence, RI's 37.9 inches topped the 27.6 that fell in the city in 1978. 

But overall, '78 is still the champ, hands down. Peak wind in '78 was 111 miles per hour in Scituate, MA as opposed to '26's 83 on Nantucket Island. The '78 storm raged for days, '26 barely over 24 hours. The '78 storm lasted through four tide cycles with major flooding, '26 through one with minor flooding. Tragically, there were 100 storm-related deaths in '78, none reported in '26.

The storm was four days ago and many communities are still digging out. Many are still without power, but crews are doing a fantastic job of getting everyone back online. 

Christmas 2025

December 24, 2025 — Changeable, conflicting weather forecasts this year put in doubt my annual Christmas trip to the South Shore to spend time with my extended family. But the unpredictable weather broke just right for travel, and we all got together to celebrate togetherness, gifts, great food and lots of good cheer and laughs.

The Yankee Swap, as usual, was the highlight of Christmas Eve. They used to set a limit of $10, but in recent years some pretty classy gifts have been donated. Before you swap, you should give some thought to just what you're holding in your hand.

I find it hard to believe, but I'm now at the top of four generations. I have great grandnephews and great grandnieces whose names I don't even know.

Share some of the fun with us in this series of photos and videos at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/christmas25/ 

 

Crescent Yacht Club Car Show

October 25, 2025 — I end the 2025 car show season at a small morning show in an old neighborhood of my hometown, Haverhill, Massachusetts. The show, hosted by the Crescent Yacht Club, was in Bradford, the section of Haverhill south of the Merrimack River. It was almost within sight of the house I lived in, or would have been if the house still existed, but it had been torn down sometime since I left the city about 60 years ago.

It could have been a nostalgic return, but the city is so changed that if you dropped me in the middle of any part of it, I would find almost nothing I recognized. Thomas Wolfe wrote "You Can't Go Home Again" and that's very true.

It was a small but pleasant show, dominated by muscle cars, but with a few old standards, and many friendly owners who loved to talk about their cars. You can see what I saw at this link:

 https://www.linwoodstreet.com/crescentyacht/

Shaker Village Vintage Car Show

October 18, 2025 — John joined me on my trip to the Shaker Village Vintage Car Show in Canterbury, New Hampshire this year. A former antique car restorer himself, John hadn't been to a show in years and was impressed by what he saw.

The Shaker Village is always impressive. Held late in the season, at least for New England, it usually features many valuable classics that are being exhibited for the last time before being put away for the winter. There are always many Model A Fords, an occasional Model T, a 12-cylinder 1941 Lincoln Continental and other classics, along with antique trucks.

Weather was a bit chilly but sunny. Fall color was dull from the long drought as was the case with the Castle Car Show two weeks ago. For an additional ticket price you can have a guided tour of the historic Shaker Village and its buildings, definitely worthwhile if you've never been there.

My photo coverage and a video can be seen at this link:
https://www.linwoodstreet.com/shakercars25/

Castle Car Show

October 4, 2025 — The Castle Car Show was held in the field below Castle in the Clouds, a popular New Hampshire tourist attraction in Moultonborough. Fall color is usually at its peak by this time in northern New Hampshire, but this year prolonged drought somewhat dulled color. But it's still a picturesque spot nestled in the Ossipee Mountains.

Except for the loss of the Carriagetown Show, other shows have been growing in number of cars and spectators, and this show was no exception. I can't remember cars being so densely packed into the spacious field.

You can see my selection of some of the finest, along with a video showing the procedure for starting a steam-powered Stanley at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/castle2025/