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O’Reilly Auto Parts Car Show, TOMORROW! 12 Noon to 4 PM

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Hey Cruisers,

Sorry for the last-minute announcement, but Pete Richie just found out that one of our great sponsors, O’Reilly Auto Parts, on Rt. 27 in Lake Placid, is having a Car Show, TOMORROW, Saturday, March 30, from Noon to 4 PM.

This is a general, “Show’n Shine” get-together.

Tomorrow will be partly cloudy with a high temp of 82. PERFECT Florida weather for a Car Show!!!

If you’re itch’n for some local Lake Placid Car Show action, stop on by if you can. – Scott, Pete, & Ron

PS – The next Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Show will be Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the Lake Placid American Legion Post 25, from 11 AM to 1:30 PM. The Legion’s outside grill will be fired up and cook’n hot dogs, burgers, and cheeseburgers from 12 Noon to 2 PM!

Cruiser Car & Bike Show This Weekend is ON!

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Greeting Cruisers!

It feels like our “winter” is behind us and we’re getting back to warm Florida weather. The Weather.com site says on Saturday we’ll have AM Clouds and PM Sun, with a high of 88 degrees.

Perfect weather for a Car & Bike Show!

Our show will start at 11 am and wrap up at 1:30 pm. The American Legion will be cooking burgers and cheeseburgers for lunch! Registration is just $5, there will be rock’n roll music, door prizes, a 50/50, plus a 50/50 runner-up prize!

Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Shows are family-centered. So, bring some friends, bring the kids, and the grand-kiddos! We like dogs too, just keep them on the leash and clean up after them.

If you have a motorcycle, let’s see it! And invite some of your motorcycle pals, too!

See you all this Saturday! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

PS – Wasn’t that SVRA Event something?! And the party at Pete Richie’s RV was perfect. HEY, Lake Country Cruisers won a trophy from Toni Strolo and SVRA. Thanks, Toni! Thanks, SVRA!

We’ll have our trophy at the sign-in table!

Lake Country Cruisers at the SVRA Event THIS WEEKEND!

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Greetings Cruisers!

Just a brief reminder that the big SVRA Show is coming to Sebring International Raceway. If you have NOT gotten your tickets yet, call Toni Strolo at… 863-698-8620 to get your ticket to the 2-day event. Tickets are $50 for ONE car with TWO people. Tell Toni you are a Lake Country Cruiser and you’ll get a $10 discount.

If you are a Hagerty member, there’s a bigger discount!

If you want to come to the event as a group, we will meet up at the Moose Lodge on Rt. 98 at 8 AM and will depart together at 8:30 AM. This way we’ll all be able to park together.

The big Hagerty Car Show is on Saturday. Awards will be given for the various classes. Last year our ’32 Ford Roadster Hot Rod pal, Bob Barard won a beautiful Blue and Gold Ribbon!

While the Car Show action is going on, there will be racing on the track with all kinds of vintage sports racing cars and late 60s and early 70s TRANS-AM race cars out on the track like it’s 1970 again! There are restored, fully functional actual Trans-Am race cars, NOT replicas.

Your ticket will get you in for more racing action on Sunday.

 

You’re invited to Party With the Cruisers!

And, if you’d like to party with the Cruisers, Pete Richie will have his RV and a side tent set up for grill’n and lots of eat’n! Bring something; snacks, desserts, beer, whatever.

As last year’s event was wrapping up, the decision was unanimous, “WE HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN IN ’24!” And here we are, ready to do it again.

As of this afternoon (2-22-24), Weather.com is calling for SUNNY SKIES on Sunday with a high of 72 degrees! We’ll TAKE IT!

Hope to see you all this weekend! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

 

PS – Our next regular Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Show will be Saturday, March 9, from 11 AM to 1:30 PM at the Lake Placid American Legion Post 25. Burgers, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs will be served on the Legion’s refurbished backyard grille!

You smell those burgers and dogs??? That smells GUUD!!!

Leisure Lakes Annual Picnic at The Secret Gardens Winery!

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Greetings Cruisers!

Our friends at the Greater Leisure Lakes Civic Association asked us to let our car and bike friends know that they will be hosting their Leisure Lakes Annual Picnic on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Secret Garden Winery from 11 am to 1:30 pm.

The Secret Gardens Winery is located at 8222 West Josephine Road, Sebring, Florida 33875.

Here’s their website.. https://SecretGardensWinery.com/

Activities will include the Car Show, Raffles, Crafts for the Kids, BINGO, and More!

Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for children, and kiddos under the age of four are free.

Their Special Guest will be Sheriff Paul Blackman. – Scott, Pete, & Ron

2024 SVRA Hagerty Cars & Caffeine Show, Feb 24, 2024

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SAVE $$$! Don’t get your SVRA tickets yet!

Greetings Cruisers! THIS JUST IN!!!

If you are on Toni Strollo’s SVRA email list, you probably already received her announcement about Hagerty Cars & Caffeine Show, on Feb 24, 2024.

But DON’T order your tickets online yet!

Registration for each car is $50 and gets you a pass for Saturday and Sunday to attend the car shows, plus the Sebring SpeedTour that includes; I GT Series race cars, Classic Trans-Am racing, Vintage Sports Race Car racing, and touring laps on the Sebring International Raceway track!

But DON’T order your tickets online yet!

Toni will be giving Lake Country Cruisers a generous discount! Toni hasn’t set up our Discount Code yet, but when she does, we will let you know, so you can save some CA$H!

In the meantime, ink-in February 24th & 25th for a weekend of some great car show and racing action.

More details to come! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

PS – Our Veterans Day Car & Bike Show was a delight, thanks to everyone who came out. If you missed the event, you can check out the below Slide Show!

(Click any of the below images to launch the Slide Show)

No Cruisers Show For September

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Greetings Cruisers. We are letting everyone know that there will be no Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Show for the month of September.

Sometimes, “life gets in the way” of things. It happens that Pete Richie and Ron Ellerman will both be traveling north, vacationing with their families for the month of September.

The next Car & Bike Show will be on October 14 at the American Legion, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Legion Post 25’s backyard grille will be getting a new metal roof that may or may not be completed by then. So, burgers and dogs cooked on the grille might not be available, but they will work out something for lunch from the inside kitchen.

Y’all enjoy the final weeks of summer and we’ll see you around town and at the Legion on October 14th! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

PS – Check out Post 25’s beautiful NEW mural!!! The formal name of the mural is, “Honoring Veterans”.

PSS – On September 11, 2023, there will be a commemoration event at Post 25 starting at 9 a.m. Pancake breakfast will be served at no charge for First Responders and Police. This event is open to the public.

Then at 1 p.m., there will be a dedication ceremony for the new mural. Artist Keith Goodson, the Lake Placid Mural Society, the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce, and Post 25 officers will be in attendance. This event is open to the public.

The Lake Placid, Fl. American Legion and Lake Country Cruisers Honors the Return of 2nd Lieutenant Pharis Weekley’s Remains

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Cruisers, American Legion Members, and Patriots Salute the Return of 2nd Lieutenant Pharis Weekley’s Remains

Greetings Cruisers!

Our May 2023 Car & Bike Show coincided with a special occasion. Through diligence and modern DNA science, the remains of 2nd Lieutenant Pharis Weekley were identified, and returned to his home in Avon Park, Florida, EIGHTY years after he was killed in Operation Tidal Wave, over Romania. By all accounts, it was known by the soldiers to be a “suicide mission”. His plane was shot down and he, along with his fellow soldiers, was buried in a mass grave.

Coincidentally, the procession with 2nd Lt. Weekley’s remains, lead by the Avon Park American Legion Riders, road by the Lake Placid American Legion, Post 25. Commander Fred Pierce arranged for two hook-and-latter fire trucks to suspend a “Welcome Home” banner for the procession. They also decorated the side of Rt. 27 with 200 American flags. Everyone that registered a car for the show received a small American flag to hold as the procession thundered by.

It was a solemn occasion. Thanks to everyone that planned this event. Also to those that stopped what they were doing for a few minutes to pay their respects.

The LaBelle, Florida Dana-Howard-Weekley American Legion, Post 130 is named after 2nd Lt. Weekley.

We honor our fallen. Without them and those that serve, we would not be able to enjoy car shows and the car culture.

We had 39 cars and 2 motorcycles registered. Our Cruiser of the Month was Marcus and Joy Johnson. Their period-correct, red SS-396 Chevelle is a beauty. Our Bike of the Month winner was Bob Wolf for his 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle.

Special note; Butch Thompson brought what is likely the OLDEST car to ever attend one of our Cruiser shows. Butch trailered his 1914 Reo truck!

Butch left Granny Clampet back home to cook up some viddles!

Door Prizes were won by; Bob Forrester, Marcus & Joy Johnson’ Roy Supple, Alan Greiger, Marty Striegel, and Keith Lang.

Alan Greiger was our 50/50 Winner and pocketed $150!

Thanks to everyone that came to the show! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

PS – Our next Show will be June 10, 2023 at the Lake Placid American Legion on Rt. 27 in Lake Placid, Florida. The Show starts at 9 am and goes until 12 Noon. Burgers and dogs will be on the outside grill and the Legion’s bar will be open! See ya there!

Two 1931 V-12 Cadillacs on the Sebring Starting Line

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The Sebring Starting Line Sure Looks Good with Dick & Marilyn Roddie’s 1931 V-12 Caddies!

Greetings Cruisers! Early last March we were happy to help Wayne Estes, President and General Manager of Sebring International Raceway with the flag pole dedication event by arranging several 1930s classic cars to be on display around the flag pole. A great time was had by all and we were happy to have on hand Lake Country Cruiser co-founder and WW-II Veteran, 95-year-old Ross Longo and 100-year old WW-II Veteran, Chester Barber.

Sebring International Raceway Gets a New Main Sponsor

What Lake Country Cruisers wasn’t fully aware of was that Sebring International Raceway’s new major sponsor is Cadillac Racing. With nearly 100-year-old, fully restored and running classic vintage Cadillacs (a 1931 V-12 Cadillac Phaeton and 1931 V-12 Cadillac Roadster) residing practically in Sebring’s backyard (Lake Placid), Estes was hoping Roddie’s Cadillacs would both be able to “take a lap” around the track. Circumstances precluded that, but the story isn’t over.

Early in April, Estes contacted Lake Country Cruisers with an offer. The track is often rented out to various racing teams and groups, but on April 13, 2023, the track would not have any racing activity. Estes asked if Dick and Marilyn Roddie would like to bring their two 1931 V-12 Cadillacs to the track for a special photo shoot on the Sebring starting line and in front of one of the “Cadillac Racing” track-side banners? The answer was, “Absolutely, yes!”

Two 1931 V-12 Cadillacs on the Sebring Starting Line

While the classic Cadillacs indeed do “run” their “roadability” is questionable, considering the speed limits of the roads between Lake Placid and the Sebring track. But there’s always a way. The Roddie’s friend, John Meyerhoff volunteered the use of his enclosed trailer and Wayne Estes sent a transport to the Roddie’s Cadillac Service Garage-themed home garage. It was a perfect Florida spring day and all the pieces were in place. Continue reading “Two 1931 V-12 Cadillacs on the Sebring Starting Line” →

Lake Country Cruisers April Car & Bike Show

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Slide Show Below!

Greetings Cruisers! The beautiful weather continues. It was another perfect day for a Car & Bike Show. We had sixty cars and bikes, and well over one hundred in attendance. The Legion had the outside grill fired up and served hungry Cruisers hot dogs, hamburgers, and cheeseburgers.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

To take the edge off the heat, our May 13, 2023, American Legion Show will start and end one hour earlier. The May show will start at 9 am and run until 12 noon. We are also working on shows in June, July, August, and September in various locations and some early evening shows! We’ll keep you informed.

Our first Feature Car, Ron Bomburger’s 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk

Last month’s Cruiser of the Month, Ron Bomburger’s beautiful 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk was on hand. Ron’s classic Studebaker has had a frame-off restoration in the last few years and won 1st Place in the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Winternations and has qualified for the coveted AACA Zenith Award!

Our second Feature Car was Dan Barr’s 1989 Corvette Challenge race car

From 1985 to 1987 Corvettes totally dominated the SCCA Showroom Stock Series. By the end of the 1987 season, SCCA kicked the Corvettes out of the series for being too fast! Then in 1988, and 1989 Chevrolet offered identical race-prepared L98 Corvettes to race in the Corvette Challenge Series. These were factory-built race cars and only eighty-five Corvette Challenge race cars were built, making them rare in the world of collectible Corvettes.

Dan Barr purchased his #9 Bosch 1989 Corvette Challenge race car at the end of the ’89 season. Since then, Dan has raced his Corvette extensively. Between 2022 and 2023 the car was refreshed and restored at George Haddad’s Fabulous Restorations Hot Rod Shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Even though the Corvette is a real race car, it is street-legal! I covered Dan’s Corvette in the April 2023 issue of Vette Vues Magazine.

Coming up Next Month! Continue reading “Lake Country Cruisers April Car & Bike Show” →

Happy 95th B-Day to Ross Longo!

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Ross Longo B-Day Party Slide Show Below!

Greeting Cruisers! It was twenty years ago that Ross Longo, Mary Carol Plott, and Edde King thought it would be fun to start a car club! Since Highlands County is peppered with lakes, large and small, they decided to call themselves, “Lake Country Cruisers”.

They put the word out that they would all be gathering in the parking lot behind the Lake Placid Train Depot in downtown Lake Placid. A dozen or so friends got together, enjoyed oldies music from someone’s boom box (remember those?), did a little dancing, and had a lot of fun! So much so, the Lake Country Car Show became a regular monthly happening! You can read the full story HERE.

The rest is history and Lake Country Cruisers is still going strong!

On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, around two dozen members of Lake Country Cruisers got together at the Lake Placid American Legion to celebrate Cruisers’ founding member, Ross Longo’s 95th Birthday! Birthday cupcakes, cards, old stories, and good wishes were the order of the day.

Cruisers co-founders Mary Carol and Edde ganged up on Ross to deliver double smooches!

So, on behalf of Pete, Ron, and all of the Cruisers, a big THANK YOU to Ross and Mary Carol, and Edde, too for launching Lake Country Cruisers! – Scott

PS – Just a brief reminder. This Saturday, April 8, 2023, will be a Car & Bike Show AND Swap Meet. The Swap Meet starts one hour earlier than usual, at 9 am.
For complete details, CLICK HERE!

Big Car Show Event Weekend!

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Greetings Cruisers! First, sorry for the seemingly last-minute announcement, but it was just brought to my attention that this Friday and Saturday there are a lot of car show activities in the Sebring area! So, let’s get straight to it!

2023 Sebring 12 Hours of BBQ, presented by Sebring Firemen Inc.

This is a 2-day event beginning Friday, March 31, 2023, that runs from 11 am to 11 pm and continues Saturday, April, 102023 from 10 am to 6 pm. The event will include;

CAR SHOW Saturday 10am-1pm.
CORN HOLE TOURNAMENT Saturday 9:30 am-2 pm.

THIS YEAR THE FEATURED MUSIC TALENTS:

Friday 3/31
* WWOJ Live Remote 11 am 4, Harry Havery (lead singer from California Toe Jam Band) and 12 pm-3 The Outta Hand Band 4 pm-7 pmo Rye Road 7:30- Midnight

Saturday 4/1
* Keith Bass & Florida Blue Grass Express 10:00 am-12:00 pm* The Lee Alcorn Band 1:00 pm-4:00 pm* Harry Havery 4:00 pm-6:00 pm

* This is a Florida BBQ Association-sanctioned event:

For more info, visit; https://visitsebring.com/mec-events/2023-sebring-12-hours-of-bbq-presented-by-sebring-firemen-inc/

Pin Wheels 4 Kids, Downtown Sebring on the Circle. Saturday, April, 1,2023: Promoting Happy, Safe Happy Childhoods for all

We were informed of this late Wednesday afternoon when one of the organizers from the Tampa area contacted Ron to let us know that they will be bringing at least ONE HUNDRED Corvettes with a police escort from Tampa to the Sebring Circle this Saturday! For our Cruiser Corvette lovers, you’ll have an opportunity to see, and meet’n greet lots of new Corvette people!

This is a children’s event sponsored by www.ChampionForChildren.org. All FREE

10:00 am Corvette Parade

10:30 Opening Ceremony

10:45- 1:00 Enjoy the Festivities

The event will include –  cookies, Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Snow Cones, Games & Prizes, Scavenger Hunt, Face Paint, Balloons, Clowns, Easter Bunny, Cookie Monster, Genie, Pinwheels, Music, and Hats!

Want to Caravan into the Show with your Corvette and a police escort??? Here’s how!
 Continue reading “Big Car Show Event Weekend!” →

Veterans Honored At Hendricks Field Memorial Park

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Greeting Cruisers! It was an honor for Lake Country Cruisers to be part of this very special event. At 6 pm on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the flag pole in the circle in what was Hendricks Field during WWII was re-dedicated in a ceremony that could not have been more touching.

The VFW Honor Guard was on hand.

The event had two WW-II Vets in attendance. Lake Country Cruisers co-founder, Ross Longo, and Lake Placid resident, 100-year-old Chester Barber were front and center! Dick and Marilyn Roddie were there with their 1931 V-12 Cadillac Phaeton. Military Preservation Society member Bob Neeley was there with his 1942 Ford-built Willys combat jeep was there. Retired Navy Commander Frank Jones was there with his 1930s vintage survivor Chevy. And special thanks to James “Pappy” Wright for connecting with Lake Country Cruisers to be part of the event.

Highlands News-Sum staff writer, Kim Moody, her assistant, and staff photographer John Lawson were on hand to cover the event. Then yesterday, Friday, March 17, 2023, the re-dedication event was on the front cover of the Highlands News-Sun newspaper.

The story was on pages 1A and 10A. I scanned both pages and put them together as one image. To see and read a much larger version, CLICK HERE.

After you click the link, the images will come up on a separate page and your cursor will change to a magnifying glass. Click the image and it will expand to full size.

It was a beautiful Florida spring evening and a beautiful event. I took a lot of photos and will be making another post on Sunday. More to come! – Scott

Last Minute Car & Bike Show at the Devane Park Circle in Lake Placid

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THIS JUST IN!!!

Greetings Cruisers! Please pardon this last-minute announcement, but we just learned about this late today (Friday) around 4:45. Saturday and Sunday there the Lake Placid Arts & Crafts Show Country Fair in Devane Park, the roundabout where we have the Caladium Festival Car & Bike Show.

For “whatever” reason the turnout of crafters was light this year, meaning that there will be a lot of open, unused space in the park. The Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce asked board member, Pete Richie if we could put together an informal Car & Bike Show.

So, here’s the deal.

We will set up our tent and music in the park early Saturday morning. We’re not sure “where”, as this has not been planned for. You’ll have to look for our Lake Country Cruisers tent and banner. There will be no entry fee, no door prizes, and no Cruiser of the Month.

But, there will be a food truck at the event.

This is just a Cars & Coffee event.

The weather will be in the 60s and partly cloudy Saturday morning. So, bring a jacket, your chairs, a breakfast sandwich, and coffee. We’ll hang out for a few hours and bench race! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

PS – Our next Lake Country Cruisers Car & Bike Show will be next Saturday, February 11 at the American Legion, on Rt. 27 in Lake Placid.

This will also be our FIRST EVER Swap Meet, so we’ll be starting the show at 9 am and running until 2 pm. If you 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 entrance.

Meet’n Eat at Jaxson’s Feb 16, 2-to-4 PM

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You Get’n Hungry or What?

Greetings Cruisers! For our next Meet’n Eat Luncheon, we’ll be tying on the old feedbag at Jaxson’s On the Lake, in Lake Placid. Jaxson’s is a great little local watering hole with a vintage down-home bar flavor that offers indoor dining, as well as outdoor dining in their screened-in back porch that looks out over Lake Henry.

If you have never been to Jaxson’s, it’s easy to get there. If you are driving south on Rt. 27 (as if you were coming to a Cruisers Show at the American Legion, drive another mile or so, past the Advent Hospital on the right, and turn RIGHT onto Lake June Road, just past the CITCO gas station on the Right.

The road winds and twists, and you’ll drive about one mile. Jaxson’s is on the RIGHT, there’s a sign, you can’t miss it! Continue reading “Meet’n Eat at Jaxson’s Feb 16, 2-to-4 PM” →

The AMAZING Harold LeMay Car Collection VIDEO

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A “Trash Man” Makes Good!

Greetings Cruisers and Happy 2023! We hope that everyone had a happy and safe New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

It’s no secret that “there’s BIG money in trash!” Harold LeMay was an amazing car guy. Born in 1919 in Yakima, Washington, Harold was into cars as a kid. As soon as he graduated from high school he went into the auto business. This was just Harold’s first enterprise.

After WW-II, Harold launched Lucky Towing, HELM Trucking Company, and Lucky Sales & Service. Eventually, Harold started his refuse company, Harold LeMay Enterprises, in Tacoma Washington.

Lots and LOTS of Cars!

Along the way, Harold bought cars, trucks, and motorcycles. LOTS of them! At one time, Harold’s collection numbered over 3,000! In 1997, three years before his death in 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the LeMay Collection as the largest privately-owned car collection in the world.

Typically, car collections are sold-off after the owner passes. In 1996, Harold came up with the idea of starting a non-profit museum so that his collection would not be broken up and sold off. But as they say, “Life got in the way”. Harold didn’t live to see his museum idea work out. However, later, his wife Nancy and son Doug made his dream a reality.Of course, the entire collection was left to his wife, Nancy. Talk about a strange inheritance!

80 Acres of Cars!

In 1991 the “LeMay Family Collection Foundation at Marymount” in Tacoma, Washington opened an 80-acre estate that was once a military academy-style school for boys. Marymount was founded by Dominican nuns in 1923. In 2012 the establishment was renamed, “The LeMay America’s Car Museum.”


With 80 acres and thousands of vehicles, it must be a marathon to take in or an all-weekend experience. Clearly, Harold’s family also has gasoline in their veins too. You’d have to, in order to make such a thing come together. Of course, Mecum or Barrett Jackson would have loved selling off all those vehicles! Continue reading “The AMAZING Harold LeMay Car Collection VIDEO” →