Happy 95th B-Day to Ross Longo!

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!

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”

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

A Successful Car Show & Swap Meet!

SLIDE SHOW BELOW!

Hey Cruisers! What a difference a month makes! Our January show was the COLDEST we ever experienced and last Saturday it was 25 degrees warmer! And NO ONE complained!

It was such a beautiful day we tied our attendance record of 101 cars and trucks. We were very happy with our first-ever Swap Meet too. We had fifteen parts swappers, with one that came from Fort Lauderdale! We also had lots of new Cruisers and a record number of Rat Rods. Dick and Marilyn Roddie were there with Dick’s 100-plus-year-old Hit’n Miss engine. It doesn’t get more nostalgic than that!

We estimate that at least half of the Cruisers that come to the show bring someone, so we guesstimate that we had at least 150 in attendance. So, a BIG THANKS to everyone that came.

Using the Lake Country Cruisers Divine Ice Cream Gauge, we knew we were doing good. By noon Divine Dave had a long row of folding chairs across the front of the American Legion with Cruisers enjoying Divine Ice Cream on a beautiful warm day.

And along with all the Cruisers, we had a good number of doggies. Dogs so LOVE a car show!

The American Legion was preparing their dining hall for their big Valentine’s Day Party later that evening, but they didn’t let our Cruisers go hungry. Commander Fred Pierce had some of his kitchen staff set up the outside grill behind the building. So, every now and then, you could enjoy the aroma of burgers cooking! You could see the dog’s noses twitching!

When we get a good turnout, Cruisers get a great 50/50 payout. Our 50/50 winner was Larry Row. Larry went home with $250 CASH stuffed in his pocket! NICE! Our 50/50 Runner-up prize was a $50 gift certificate from GC Grillhouse and Dave Bukis was the winner. Continue reading “A Successful Car Show & Swap Meet!”

This Saturday’s Swap Meet is ON!

Turn those old parts into CASH!

Hey Cruisers! Just a short post to let you know that the scheduled Swap Meet is most definitely ON!

To give everyone more time to sell their stuff, we are starting the show at 9 am, instead of 10 am. We have plenty of space, so get your car stuff into the truck or on a trailer and come on over to the Lake Placid American Legion.

If you don’t have stuff to sell, it’s still a Car Show with Door Prizes, 50/50, 50/50 runner-up restaurant gift certificate, and Crusier of the Month and Bike of the Month awards!

Our next scheduled event will be another Meet’n Eat on February 16, 2023, at Jaxson’s On the Lake, on Lake June Rd. in Lake Placid from 2 pm to 4 pm. Come on by, bench race, solve the world’s problems, and tie on the old feed bag! See you then! – Scott, Pete, & Ron

Here’s a map showing the location of the Lake Placid American Legion, on Rt. 27 in Lake Placid, Florida.

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

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”