SAAC Presents:
Impressions of the Haddam Lions Club's 10th Annual "Rollin' On The River" Car Show & Swap Meet, Haddam Meadows State Park, Haddam, CT, July 10, 2005  (This page new as of 8/5/2005)

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This show, in my opinion, represents yet another excellent reason why we have a lot to be proud of as old car enthusiasts here in Connecticut!

I've never been to this show before, though friends (like fellow VW enthusiast Greg Mattesen) have, and have always spoken highly of it. This being the "10th Annual," I figured they must be doing something right, and seeing that I had a more or less "free day" coming up for Sunday July 10th, 2005, and the weatherman was predicting some very nice summer weather, I decided to do my best to get out there--even if only as a spectator.

IMAGE AT RIGHT: An overall view sighting down a car show row of late model stock automobiles...

I was also aware that this event was an important fund-raiser for the Haddam Lions Club, who do marvelous good works in the community. Their motto is "We Serve."

I drove a modern car, as I knew I had to be back at a reasonable time in the afternoon, plus getting a driveable old car out would have taken some substantial effort. One thing I did make sure to bring along, however, was my camera. I also brought along a good supply of flyers for both of the then-still-upcoming "Time Machines" antique car show and also the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival Antique Auto Parade & Display--my mission was to stick one of each into every car there...little did I think that I'd be essentialy "wiped out" of both by the end of my time there at the "Rollin'" show--talk about one super-impressive turnout of beautiful old cars--wow!

In keeping with the the traditional "day of rest" theme (since it was a Sunday and all), I did make sure to drive some scenic back roads on my way to the Haddam Meadows State Park on Route 154 in Haddam. It looked like there was a reasonable "diagonal" road I could take off of Route 81 (Beaver Meadow Road), that looked to intersect Route 154 just about right at the Park, so that's the way I went. Sure enough, quickly I was behind a beautiful mid-'60s Mustang convertible and an early-'70s Mopar, who were also diagonaling northeastward on the same road toward Haddam Meadows--it wasn't any stretch to guess where their final destination would be--and sure enough, I followed them right into the park entrance!

What a sight as I drove into Haddam Meadows State Park, with it's entrance driveway somewhat elevated from the main part of the field, affording an amazing view of an incredible array of old cars and trucks of all sorts, spread out on acres and acres of nicely-cut green grass, with a few trees here and there for some shade, plus the pleasant breezes coming off of the Connectiut River, which is directly adjacent to the park. Old car event venues don't get much better than this one!

IMAGE BELOW: An amazing array of early '20s & '30s cars, in one of the front rows of the car show--this was one of the first sights people incoming to the Haddam Meadows State Park had--wow.

At the spectator entrance I paid my admission, and received a very nice show booklet, that talked about this year's featured vehicles, which included a 1930 Peter Pirsch Fire Engine from the Haddam Volunteer Fire Department, and also the "showcase class" vehicle--the Pontiac GTO. Then it was time to get down to business getting those flyers handed out, followed by some picture & note-taking.

It was a very pleasant surprise to run into our good friends Judy and Jim Dziuba from Wallingford there, pretty soon after I arrived. Their 1930 Model A Ford Sedan sure was looking fine, and it was fun to chat with them a bit to catch up on things. It is a little-known fact that their '30 Ford was formerly a Branford resident, right before it came to live with Judy and Jim in Wallingford!

Strolling around through the afternoon, I was amazed and overwhelmed--each car was more beautiful than the last--and what a variety of all shapes, sizes, styles, and colors. There were pristine '20s and '30s bone-stock antiques, and there were snarling high-tech hot-rods based on similar years and models--and there were everything in between too, including sports cars, muscle cars, imports, trucks, and much more. To repeat an over-used phrase, it was truly a feast for the eyes of any antique auto enthusiast.

Many people were very willing to talk about their old cars too. One fellow in particular with whom I had a very wonderful time chatting was Mr. Bill Levine, also from Wallingford, who was proudly displaying his magnificent gold 1970 Mercury Cougar. What intially struck me was that there were two very beautiful, similar-vintage Cougars parked next to each other--Mr. Levine's gold '70 Coupe, and a blue 1969 Convertible owned by Oswald Sheppard. These Cougars were similar in many ways to Mustangs of the same era, yet were also very different, and very elegant in their own unique way. As I enjoyed taking in the visual details of Mr. Levine's awesome '70, he related some of it's interesting history, including the fact that it was a 35,000-original-miles car, from Florida, and Mr. Levine was actually only the second owner! It was powered by the very highly-regarded 351 "Cleveland" engine, and was super-original and "correct"--a real pleasure to take in. I really had a great time viewing Mr. Levine's magnificent '70 Cougar, and chatting with him!

IMAGE AT UPPER RIGHT: The 1970-71 Florida "Sunshine State" tag on the back of Bill Levine's beautiful gold 1970 Mercury Cougar.

Another car that really struck my eye while browsing the show, though I never had the opportunity to meet the owner, was an unbelievably pristine 1964 Studebaker Commander 4-door sedan. I took quite a while to examine it, and really appreciated the wonderful example of this very historic American automotive marque. The engine compartment was just as clean as the interior of this wonderful automobile, and the owner, listed as Mike Rugens on the windshield card, had interesting displays of period sales literature for the car also laid-out in the car's immaculate original interior.

These were just a few of the old cars that I really enjoyed viewing, and I hope you'll take the time to browse the rest of my favorite selected images from the 10th Annual "Rollin' On The River" Car Show, below.

I made a final browse through the automotive flea market section of the event, and then it was about time for me to get in the car and head home for Stony Creek. What a great way to spend a day!

Our hats are once again off to the Lions Club of Haddam for a most wonderful summertime antique automobile experience!

Rollin' On The River 2005 Photo Gallery - Selected Images from the Car Show

BELOW: Various beautiful '20s/'30s cars in the front row of the car show--a magnificent sight...

BELOW: This is Judy & Jim Dziuba's Wallingford-based 1930 Model A Ford Sedan, looking very slick with it's new-for-this-season set of whitewalls... UPDATE: Here is a link to a different & higher resolution image of this beautiful automobile, at the AACA Photo Forum: http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6292 - hope you enjoy it, and thanks to AACA for hosting the photo!

BELOW: This is the view I had as I initially approached this very cool pair of Cougars. The blue convertible on the right is a 1969 model, owned by Oswald Sheppard, and the gold coupe on the left is a 1970 model owned by Bill Levine.

BELOW: And around front it could be seen that Mr. Levine's gold '70 had a pair of drive-in theater speakers, in an authentic pedestal holder, wired up and playing oldies music--how cool is that?!

BELOW: Mr. Bill Levine, the owner of this super-nice '70 Cougar, was very gracious to talk with me in detail about his beautiful antique automobile, and also to pose for a picture. Thanks again Bill! UPDATE: Here are some links to some more (& higher resolution) images of this beautiful automobile, at the AACA Photo Forum: http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6288 and http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6289 - hope you enjoy them, and thanks to AACA for hosting the photos!

BELOW: Yes, there were plenty of rods & customs at the "Rollin'" show. Here is a just a small overview of some of the many modified jewels of automotive artwork...

BELOW: Left front 3/4 view of the Mike Rugens Rocky Hill-based 1964 Studebaker Comander 4-door sedan--a standout vehicle at the 2005 "Rollin' On The River" car show. UPDATE: Here are some links to some more (& higher resolution) images of this beautiful automobile, at the AACA Photo Forum: http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6281 , http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6282 , http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6283 , http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6284 , http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6285 , http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6286 , and http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6287 - hope you enjoy them, and thanks to AACA for hosting the photos!

BELOW: Left rear 3/4 view of the Mike Rugens 1964 Studebaker Comander 4-door sedan--awesome!

BELOW: I also really liked this black with orange factory graphic stripes 1970 Dodge 440 Super Bee, owned by Matthew Picard of Killingworth, CT. This car was a super-correct survivor from the "muscle car era!"

BELOW: It was hard not to notice this very attractive pair of very similar model-year and body-style Volvos. The white wagon on the left is a 1967 model 122 owned by Jason Cameron. The light yellow 4-door sedan on the right is a 1966 model 122S owned by Blair Binge. UPDATE: Here are some links to some more (& higher resolution) images of these beautiful automobiles, at the AACA Photo Forum: http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6290 and http://photos.aaca.org/showphoto.php?photo=6291 - hope you enjoy them, and thanks to AACA for hosting the photos!

BELOW: I had to finish up with this "vintage rat-look" 1959 Ford Sedan, looking like a drag race "time machine" from the old days. Check out the "Connecticut Dragway" ghost lettering on the door...

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