July 2, 2023 Evening Cruisers Show

Our July 4th Weekend Car Party!

Greetings Cruisers! Thanks to everyone that came out for our first Lake Country Cruisers evening show in a long, long time. We had around 45 cars and officially 36 registered. All total, we had approximately 60 car friends come to the Lake Placid American Legion to enjoy the car show as part of their Independence Day weekend festivities.

A Few Words About the Weather

Fortunately, we had no rain, although dark clouds were forming about 25 miles to the east towards the end of the show. Now, about the heat.

When Pete, Ron, and I arrived at the Legion at 4 pm, it was beyond “warm”, IT WAS HOT! As we were setting up, we were looking at one another with the same silent expression, “This might have been a BAD idea!” But, we were committed, and “the show must go on”, right?

Then, almost “by plan”, by 6 pm the temps began to drop, and some cloud cover took the edge off the heat. By 6:30 it was a pleasant, warm early summer evening.

Cruisers Closed the Kitchen!

The Post 25 Legion had their backyard grill fired up and Larry Morrison and Commander Fred Pierce were cooking hot dogs and flipping burgers. Not only did you Cruisers bring your cars, but you also brought your appetites! By 7 pm we had to announce that the Legion was SOLD OUT of everything! All the dogs and burgers got gobbled up! GOOD JOB, everyone! Commander Fred said that next month he’ll make sure they have more burgers and dogs.

Door Prizes were won by Justin Donohue, Jon Platt, Jim Maze, and “Lucky” Jack Murphy. Our 50/50 winner took home $175! (could the 50/50 winner please contact us, as we didn’t get a chance to record their name)

And our Cruiser of the Month was Ronald Davis and his big-time fun 1927 Ford Rat Rod. Rat Rods are actually tributes to the earliest Hot Rods made from cobbled-together parts from old car junkyards. Their purpose was speed and performance. Hot Rods didn’t begin to get “pretty” until the 1950s era of Show Cars. Continue reading “July 2, 2023 Evening Cruisers Show”

A Last Minute Reminder about Our July Show!

Greetings Cruisers! Just a last-minute reminder that our July Car & Bike Show at the Lake Placid American Legion Post 25, located on Rt. 27 in Lake Placid will be tomorrow EVENING, Sunday, July 2nd from 5 pm in the afternoon to 8 pm in the early evening.

Sunset Sunday evening is 8:24, so there’ll be plenty of time for everyone to get home before dark.

We’ll be doing all of our usual fun things; Rock’n Roll music, Door Prizes, a generous 50/50, a 50/50 Runner-Up prize, Cruiser of the Month, and Bike of the Month awards. The Legion’s outside grill will be cooking American food; burgers, hot dogs, and cheeseburgers.

If it is warm to hot, you can enjoy the Legion’s cool banquet room and entertainer Rob Stotz will be “Rock’n the Oldies” Live on stage. The Legion’s outstanding bar will be open. If you are not a Legion member, a Cruiser Legion member will be able to get you served at the bar! If you are not a Legion member, we can get you an application form to join the great American institution!

According to the hour-by-hour report on Weather.com, there is NO RAIN in the Sunday forecast!

So, come on out and celibate America’s 247th Independence Day weekend with a great Car & Bike Show! We are family-centered, so bring the kids, the grand kiddos, and the dog too! We love dogs and dogs love car shows! Just keep Fido on a leash and clean up after him/her. Continue reading “A Last Minute Reminder about Our July Show!”

Next Show, SUNDAY, July 2, 2023 5 pm to 8 pm!

Greetings Cruisers! The July 4th Independence Day Weekend is coming right up. Typically, we have our Car & Bike shows on the 2nd Saturday of the month. But this year we decided to be part of the long holiday weekend by having our show in the first weekend of the month to be part of the July 4th celebration.

The Lake Placid American Legion is having its July 4th Picnic on Saturday, July 1st, so we will be having our Car & Bike show on SUNDAY, and it will be an EARLY EVENING show. Our show will start at 5 pm and go to 8 pm.

We’ll be doing our usual thing; Door Prizes, 50/50, 50/50 Runner-Up prize, Cruiser of the Month, Rock’n Roll music, and Larry will be cooking burgers, dogs, and cheeseburgers on the outside grill.

Inside the Legion, Rob Stotz will be “Rock’n the Oldies” Live, on stage! And the Legion bar will be open to Legion members. If you’re not a Legion member and would like something from the bar, one of the Cruiser Legion members can help get you a drink.

If all goes according to our plan, and it doesn’t rain (NO RAIN! NO RAIN!), as the show progress it will get cooler, instead of hotter! At least, that’s the plan.

RAIN DATE: Saturday, July 8, 2023, 5 PM to 8 PM

Bring the family, bring the dog too! (dogs LOVE car shows, you know) Hope to see you Sunday evening! Scott, Pete, & Ron

Lake Country Cruisers June 2023 Car & Bike Show

Cruisers Debut the NEW Summer Schedule

Greeting Cruisers! The snowbirds have mostly flown north for the summer, leaving Highlands County to us year-round diehards! To take the edge off the heat we will be starting our shows at 9 am and wrapping up at 12 noon from now until November. If you are new to this area, yes, it can still be hot in November.

We had around forty cars in attendance and at least 60 to 70 car & bike guys and gals, and a few doggies, too! (dogs love car shows!) A BIG THANKS to our sponsors, the Lake Placid Dunkin Donuts for supplying four boxes of donuts and two cartons of hot coffee.

Our oldest car was Roy Supple’s 1940 Dodge Coupe. Door prizes were scooped up by; Lou Von Gome, Rich Schriver, Roy Supple, Marvin Garwood, and Bob Neeley.

And our Cruiser of the Month (for the second time this year) was Ron Bonburder for his super-sano-clean 1962 Grand Turismo Studebaker. Congrats, Ron!

Our 50/50 winner was Mark Toboda took home $150 cold, hard cash! And our 50/50 runner-up was Scott Storch. Scott went home with two Red Lobster gift cards.

 

 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Continue reading “Lake Country Cruisers June 2023 Car & Bike Show”

DOCK 633’s “Tiki Bar Grand Opening & a Thirsty Thursday Announcement!

A Perfect Florida Car Show

Greetings Cruisers!

DOCK 633 has been very generous to Lake Country Cruises since Ron, Pete, and I took over the management of the car shows in October 2021. Those $50 Gift Certificates are mighty sweet!

Dock 633 owners, Bill & Hillary recently added an outside Tiki Bar they call, “The Sand Bar” to the side of their restaurant and asked if we could stage a Car Show for their Grand Opening. Everyone lucked out because it was a picture-perfect spring Florida day.

Thirty cars and at least fifty Cruisers showed up. We stuffed the front parking lot with Hot Rods and cool cars. Everyone that registered got a blue star ticket for a FREE drink, plus 20% off their food tab. Bill & Hillary also booked live music!

Best In Show went to Bruce Clough for his beautiful blue 1970 SS-454 Chevelle. Bruce took home a trophy, plus a $100 DOCK 633 Gift Certificate. Best In Show Runner-Up was first-time attendee, Dave Lawrence for his gorgeous 1970 Chevy C10 Retromod Pickup. Dave took home a $50 Dock 633 Gift Certificate.

For a small car show we did great with the 50/50. Our 50/50 winner was Phil & Cheryl Link. They pocked $150!

SLIDE SHOW BELOW… Continue reading “DOCK 633’s “Tiki Bar Grand Opening & a Thirsty Thursday Announcement!”

Cruisers “Meet’n Eat” at Paul Fry’s House!!!

Ready to tie on the old feed bag for a few hours?

Greetings Cruisers!

Our Corvette and motorcycle Cruiser pal, Paul Fry has completed renovations on his house and is hosting a “Meet’n Eat” event at his house in Sebring, this Thursday, June 8, 2023, from 2 pm to 4 pm-ish.

His address is; 5801 Redwood Terrace, Sebring, Florida. Here’s a map of how to get to Paul’s place… Continue reading “Cruisers “Meet’n Eat” at Paul Fry’s House!!!”

Here’s why America’s Memorial Day car parades are great!

Greetings Cruisers!

As a fellow car enthusiast, I think you will enjoy this story about why “classic cars” have become part of the fabric of our nation. CLICK HERE!

Our next Lake Country Cruisers Show will be June 10, 2023, at the Lake Placid American Legion, Post 25, from 9 am to 12 noon.

We are working on Car & Bike shows through the summer in various locations and times. Lots coming up and we’ll get back to you.

We hope that everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day. – Scott, Pete, & Ron PS

Dock 633’s New “Sand Bar” Tiki Bar Grand Opening This Saturday Afternoon

Busy Saturday?  Hang out with us and enjoy Dock 633’s new outside Tiki Bar, the “Sand Bar”

Greetings Cruisers! Dock 633 has been a very generous sponsor to us with $50 Gift Certificates that we use for our 50/50 Runner-Up prizes. (NICE!) Recently, owners Bill and Hillary asked us to stage a Car Show as part of the Grand Opening of their new “Sand Bar” outside Tiki bar.

The Show’n Shine Car & Bike show will begin at 11 am and run until around 2 pm.

The new tiki bar area is under a big shade tree with tent coverings, and there will be Live music. Drinks will be served outside, and lunch can be ordered from inside and then enjoyed outside.

As this is a Show’n Shine event, with no registration fee, but, we’ll have a 50/50!

Hope you can join us! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

PS – Our next Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Show will be on June 10, 2023, at the Lake Placid American Legion, Post 25, on Rt. 27 in Lake Placid.

Check out the rest of our Coming Events! Continue reading “Dock 633’s New “Sand Bar” Tiki Bar Grand Opening This Saturday Afternoon”

Hungry? “Meet’n Eat” at GC Grillhouse, Thursday May 18, 2023, 2:30 to 4:30

Back by popular demand!

Greetings Cruisers! Pete, Ron, and I were talking recently and one of us said, “Hey, we haven’t done a Meet’n Eat in a while!” So, we called our friends at the GC Grillhouse on Rt. 27 in Lake Placid (formerly “Golden Corral) and made the arrangements.

If you can break away from normal life (whatever that is!) , meet us at GC Grillhouse from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm for lunch. GC Grillhouse has excellent Lunch Specials and their salad bar is terrific.

So, you are invited to join us, tie on the old feed bag, bench race, tell jokes, laugh, and solve the world’s problems! See you for lunch!Scott, Pete, and Ron

PS – Our next event will be Saturday, May 27, 2023, at Dock 633 from 11 am to 2 pm-ish.

Dock 633 has been a very generous sponsor to us. Recently, owners Bill and Hillary asked us to stage a Car Show as part of the Grand Opening of their new “Sand Bar” outside tiki bar.

The new tiki bar area is under a big shade tree with tent coverings. Drinks will be served outside and lunch can be ordered from inside.

This is a Show’n Shine event, with no registration fee, but we’ll have a 50/50. Hope you can join us!

New Show Hours Start This Saturday

We’re Starting One Hour Early This Saturday!

Greetings Cruisers! Just a short post to cover what’s shaping up to be a busy month!

This Saturday, May 13, 2023, we will start our daytime summer hours. Since it tends to get HOT around noon, we are starting and ending our show one hour earlier.

The new show time is 9 am to 12 noon.

This Saturday’s show will coincide with the procession of the remains of Second Lieutenant Pharis Weekley along Rt. 27 South while our Car & Bike show is in progress. Everyone that registers their car will get a 4” x 6” American flag.

Please take notice of the commemorative patch to the right. These patches will be available inside the Legion during the show for just $5! –>>

We also encourage everyone to bring their American flags. It’s the least we can do.

And lastly, the Lake Placid Dunkin Donuts store will be supplying four boxes of donuts and two cartons of coffee! Everyone LOVES Dunkin!

Ready to Tie On the Old Feed Bag With Us?

GC Grillhouse has been a very generous sponsor of Lake Country Cruisers. So, let’s return their generosity by having a big Meet’n Eat on Thursday, May 18 from 2:30 to 4:30. GC Grillhouse is 1/4-mile south of the second traffic light at the intersection of Rt. 27 and Interlake Blvd. In Lake Placid. We’ll be in time for their daily Lunch Specials!

Please RSVP by May 16, 2023. You can email me at... lightoak@comcast.net Continue reading “New Show Hours Start This Saturday”

Summer Schedule Announcements!

Greetings Cruisers! We have a lot going on as we move into the warmer months. Here’s the rundown of shows through to Labor Day weekend.

May Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Show at the Lake Placid American Legion, May 13, 9 am to 12 noon

Our next American Legion show will be this Saturday, May 13, 2023. Our beautiful winter weather is now behind us, so to knock off some of the heat, starting this Saturday, our summer “day” shows will start at 9 am and run until 12 noon. Entry fee is just $5.00 and there will be Door Prizes, 50/50, Rock’n Roll music, Cruiser of the month, Bike of the Month, plus burgers, cheeseburgers, and dogs on the Legion’s outside grill for lunch!

Second Lieutenant Pharis Weekley is Coming Home

Also, this Saturday there will be a special and solemn event that will take place during our show. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), on July 12, 2022, the remains of 21-year-old, WW-II Second Lieutenant Veteran Pharis Weekley were identified. His remains will be returned to the Dana-Howard-Weekley Post 130 in Labelle, Florida this Saturday.

The police escort procession will travel south on Rt. 27 and will drive by the Lake Placid American Legion Post 25 between 9:30 and 10:30. When the procession gets close to the Legion, we encourage everyone to gather along Rt. 27 to salute Second Lieutenant Pharis Weekley coming home to rest.

We will be giving 4” x 6” flags on wooden stick-poles (“Made In The USA”) to everyone who signs in for the show!

Meet’n Eat” at GC Grillhouse, Thursday, May 18, from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

GC Grillhouse has generous Lunch Specials for $9.99 and they have a full bar for adult beverages. So come on out and hang with us. We’ll do some serious bench racing, tell jokes, laugh, eat, and solve all the world’s problems!

 

Show’n Shine Car & Bike Show at Dock 633, May 27, 2023 from 9 am to 12 noon Continue reading “Summer Schedule Announcements!”

Meet March 2023 Cruiser of the Month

Meet “Studebaker Man”, Ron Bomberger and his Stunning 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk

NOTE: This Saturday’s Car & Bike Show will also be a Swap Meet!

When Ron Bomberger and his 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk rolled into the Lake Country Cruisers Show on March 11, 2023, I turned to Ron Ellerman and said, “Look at that beautiful Studebaker! I don’t remember the last time I saw one!” Studebakers are hardly ever seen and this one was dazzling! We forget, but in 1956 the Golden Golden Hawk, with its big Packard engine was the quickest, fastest car on the road.

Here’s “Studebaker Man” Ron Bomberger’s Story

“My first car was a Studebaker and I bought them until the company went bankrupt in 1967. I just always loved the Golden Hawk. Around 2012 when we were living in Pennsylvania, I found this car on eBay and got really excited. It was nice, mechanically sound, and complete, but tired. It was too good to pass up.

We were snowbirds then and would winter in Lake Placid. Then in 2016 we moved to Lake Placid permanently and brought the Golden Hawk with us. But when we lived in Pennsylvania I was very impressed with the workmanship of restoration experts at Cornerstone Automotive, in Lititz.

I kept thinking how amazing the Golden Hawk would be if it had a frame-off restoration. Continue reading “Meet March 2023 Cruiser of the Month”

What’a Week at Sebring Raceway! SLIDE SHOW

Sometimes in Life, “Providence moves to…”

Hey Cruisers! Yesterday we shared with you the beautiful coverage by The Highlands News-Sun from the front page of the Friday edition. In addition to the re-dedication ceremony of Hendricks Field last Wednesday, on Friday morning there was a Corvette Racing Seminar hosted by Corvette engineer Bill Tower and Stingray Chevrolet owner, Steve Hurley. Then yesterday there was the 71st running of The 12 Hours of Sebring race. A big week, indeed.

A few thoughts about how the Hendricks Field re-dedication event came together and Lake Country Cruisers involvement.

Occasionally, things seem to fall into place as if there was Divine Intervention. It certainly seemed that way to me and more than a few others. The entire event was organized and staged by Sebring International Raceway President and General Manager, Wayne Estes, and John Story, senior director of Marketing and Business Development & Communications at SIR. And no doubt, many others.

Planning, construction, and refurbishment of the Hendricks Air Field circle and flag pole, located at the north end of the track, started a year or so ago. In mid-February, we received an inquiry from Wayne Estes requesting vintage cars from the 1930s and early 1940s. The first cars we thought of were Dick and Marilyn Roddie’s two 1931 V-12 Cadillacs. We also identified Tom Baldwin’s 1939 Ford Pickup truck.

Then we connected with James “Pappy” Wright. James is currently in the process of moving his residence and collection of classic antique cars (and one C7 Corvette Grand Sport!) to Highlands County. James came on board with his 1932 Chevy, as well as retired Navy Commander Frank Jones with his early ’30s Chevy. There were three other beautiful classic cars that, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect with the owners.

So, we were able to pull together a sweet collection of classic cars to set the atmosphere to go with the Sebring High School Band that was playing classic 1940s WW-II era music. The VFW Post was also on hand to present the colors. The Sea Services displayed their replicas of the USS Enterprise CV-6 and the USS Samuel B. Roberts DE-413 along the roundabout circle.

And to top it all off, Lake Country Cruisers co-founder, Ross Longo and 100-year-old Lake Placid resident and WW-II D-Day paratrooper pilot, Chester Barber were two of the event’s special guests.

Meet Mr. Chester Barber!
Continue reading “What’a Week at Sebring Raceway! SLIDE SHOW”

Lake Country Cruisers March 2023 Car & Bike Show – YES!

A Perfect Day For A Car Show! (Slide Show Below!)

Greetings Cruisers! What a beautiful day we had for a Car & Bike Show. It was a little cool at 9 am when we started to set up and a little warm when we wrapped up tthe show at 1:30 pm.

A big “Thanks!” to our friends at the Lake Placid Dunkin Donuts for the coffee and donuts. They sure did go fast!

We had fifty cars and around eighty in attendance at the show. The American Legion was having a regional meeting in the banquet room, so the inside kitchen was closed. But Commander Fred Pierce made sure that our Cruiser friends could get lunch, so the outside grill was fired up and by 11:30 am you could smell the burgers and hot dogs!

Our 50/50 winner was Sebring resident BethLinn Mackes and her take home was $150 CASH!

Our 50/50 Runner-Up winner was Sebring resident Pat Klynstra, and she received a FREE oil change from our friends at Highlands Complete Auto, on Rt. 27 in Sebring.

 

 

And our Curiser of the Month was Ron Bomberger and his stunningly beautiful 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk. In 1956 this was one of the quickest, fastest cars of its day. The Golden Hawk’s styling was influenced by French industrial designer, Raymond Loewy‘s design studio. Loewy went on to design the body for the 1963 Studebaker Avante.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Our next Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Show on April 8, 2023, will also be a Swap Meet! So, the same as we did for our February Swap Meet, we will start at 9:00 am, one hour earlier than usual.

If you are looking for parts or would like to clear the car clutter in your garage and unload some old car stuff, the 10′ x 10′ space is $15 and the 10′ x 15′ space is $20. You can pay at the Sign-In tent.

Thanks to everyone that came to the show. Remember, our shows are car AND bike shows. So, if you have a motorcycle, bring it. If you have motorcycle friends, invite them! It’s a Car & Bike Party!

See ya next month!Scott, Pete, & Ron


PS – We will be doing Car & Bike Shows throughout the year, and sometimes in different places. We’ll always let you know where and when, but be sure to check out Coming Events page.


Car & Bike Show This Saturday!

Greeting Cruisers!

Just a brief reminder that this Saturday, March 11 we will be hosting another fun Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike show at the Lake Placid American Legion. The show officially starts are 10 am and runs to around 1:30-ish.

The weather forecast for Saturday is good – cool in the early morning with a high of 85 degrees later in the afternoon. PERFECT weather for a Car Show.

If you have friends with motorcycles, invite them! We like all kinds of machines!

And bring your pooch if you have one! We love dogs too. Just keep them on their leash and clean up after them if they, well, you know.

See y’all Saturday!Scott, Pete, & Ron