The popular Wednesday evening car cruise makes its return
Going Places on a Gallon
There were lots of smiles in the crowd on the fields surrounding the Bear Mountain Inn, skating rink and carousel on Wednesday, July 14.
Why? The Bear Mountain Car Cruise had just returned after missing the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were hundreds of cars on the field, the grills were smoking and there was a line of people looking to buy burgers for dinner, vendors were set up around the perimeter (even a bee-keeper with live bees on display), people were laughing and talking, the Fort Montgomery Fire Department was on hand with the American flag flying high, DJ Pat Flynn kept the crowd entertained, there was a 50/50 raffle, prizes were being awarded, and even sea gulls provided a show as they were swooping around the parking lot grabbing snacks ….
The show is hosted by the Rod Benders Car Club, and manned by volunteers, including the Young family of Fort Montgomery. You’ll encounter them as you enter the show.
One of those on hand last week with his car — a restored 1964 Plymouth Barracuda — was former Fort Montgomery resident Pete Araujo. His “hot rod” was his COVID-project, completely restored in his driveway and back yard into a gorgeous turquoise showpiece. He entertained passers-by with stories about how he used a “rattle can” method to paint the car. That means … he spray painted the entire vehicle!
“You can learn a lot by watching young kids on YouTube,” he said — noting that he used 18 cans of Rust-oleum paint he bought at Michaels (“I cleaned them out”) and on Amazon.
“This was a California car most of its life,” Araujo said, pointing out that the lacy design painted on the car was the result of some fancy paint work he did with a … wait for it …. tablecloth! He bought it in 2008 “from a guy in Jersey” and did the upholstery and painting work all himself. He worked with a welder on some of the body work.
“Not too much about this car is original anymore,” he said.
Another ‘local’ on hand was Cornwall’s Pete Miller, former Highland Falls Police Chief. He had just one of three classic British cars – Rolls Royce, Jaguar and an MG — that were on display that night.
In addition to old cars on the field (like a beautiful Mustang named Maxine, and a classic family-size Dodge Sierra station wagon) and very, very old cars (like a rusted out work truck from Bob’s Roofing and Siding), there were very new cars (a BMW Roadster that attracted a lot of attention with its doors that lifted up instead of opening out), motorcycles (both classic Harleys and fancy Kawasakis), trucks with big tires, and even just ‘classic’ modern cars that are well taken care of.
It’s definitely all a sight to see … and definitely something car enthusiasts are glad to have back in 2021. For those who don’t really care all that much about cars, there is still much to do and see, and there’s a good chance you’ll run into someone you know! It’s a great place to bring kids, and there were even lots of (leashed) dogs enjoying the evening.
The Bear Mountain Car Cruise has a website (www.bearmountaincarcruise.org) and an active Facebook page to update participants and spectators of each week’s special events, weather-related cancellations and more. They’re also in Instagram.
The weekly event runs through September. All spectator vehicles entering the park pay a $5 Park entrance fee (Rod Benders doesn’t receive any part of this fee).
For car owners, a $30 seasonal club membership exempts members from the entrance fee — you can register for that at the information desk when you pull onto the grass (that’s via the service road in the area between the carousel and ice skating rink).
