Memories of the ‘happy days’ of bobby socks and saddle shoes, drive-in restaurants where waitresses roller skated trays of fast food to car windows, 50s dances, rock n’ roll and muscle shirts, are revived every Tuesday evening at the town dock when the Parry Sound CruZers Car Club hosts its CruZe Nites.
“It’s reliving an era when we used to have a ton of fun,” says Parry Sound CruZers President Tudor Randell.
But the wide array of cars gathering at the 30,000 Island Cruise Line parking lot every Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. includes far more than the ‘sweet rides’ from the 50s, 60s, and 70s era, when baby boomers first began revving up behind the wheel and tinkering under the hood.
From Bill Corbett’s brand new 2007 Mustang Shelby GT 500 to Michael Bondi's 1924 Model T Ford, the club boasts a wide range of 90 vehicles among its ranks. Even a motorcycle or two, and a "semi-amphib" Canadian Army jeep are part of the CruZers’ collection. What’s most popular seems to be a matter of personal taste. Some seek out muscle cars like the Ford Gran Torino of Starsky and Hutch fame or the Dukes of Hazzard’s Dodge Hemi Charger. Others are dazzled by the hot rods like Tudor’s 1929 Pontiac Tudor Sedan or the fenderless and hoodless varieties. Some gravitate to classics like Michael Bondi’s straightline 12-cylinder 1932 Packard. And, not surprisingly, Paul Hannon’s new custom C-6 Corvette and Bill Corbett’s Shelby always rank high as crowd pleasers.
Curious visitors at CruZe Night will also be treated to an impressive show of out-of-town cars which join the CruZers’ classic, vintage, muscle cars (like the Chargers, Barracudas, Camaros, and Firebirds), hot rods and modern tuner and custom cars. With so many cars traveling here from Aurora, London, Barrie, Orillia, North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, South River and beyond, regular CruZe Night followers never know what classic beauties might show up.
It’s gained quite a reputation in Ontario as a northern cruise night well worth attending on Tuesday nights. One of the big attractions - besides the waterfront rock and roll atmosphere - is the unique trophies.
“They come from all over Ontario to get those, and they’re made by CruZers who make 50 to 60 a year from old car parts, donated to us. Mechanical men we call them,” says Tudor.
These are drawn prizes – not judged – given to one local and one visiting registered car owner, just for showing up. Prizes are supported by the club’s 240 sponsors.
CruZe Nites in the Island Queen lot have developed into a significant tourist event. “It provides a focus for tourists, and locals,” says the club president. “Anyone coming down here can’t miss the crowd, and I’m sure its one of the best promotions for this harbour for a Tuesday. You have the Bands on the Bay over at the Stockey Centre in the summer, and we get a lot of people coming over here, who have been walking on the fitness trail and bingo; all of a sudden they’ve got a rock and roll car show going on every Tuesday until September 4.”
The nostalgic American Graffiti-like atmosphere of CruZe Nites at the town docks also attracts happy visitors disembarking from the 30,000 Island Queen boat cruise, dining at a waterfront restaurant or seeking an entertaining break away from their yacht docked in the harbour or at Big Sound Marina.
They notice the fins, the powerful engines of the vintage cars, the chrome, trunks large enough to hold a few buddies trying to sneak into the drive-in, and the re-done interiors of leather and the wood.
Visitors remark on the add-ons, all the doo dads, the fuzzy dice, trinkets, mirrors, search lights, bobble heads and 60s stuff. These folks like to check out Paul Graves’ purple machine – a beautiful ‘52 Ford Vickie. This plum Crown Victoria has all the options and detailing available to take it back to factory showroom condition and specs.
But, more than anything, it’s the memories the cars stir up that really get people reminiscing at the shows.
“I have so many elderly people saying ‘Oh, that’s my dad’s car, I remember sitting in the back of this going to the drive-in movies and driving down the main street etc, etc,” Randell explains. “It’s memories, and not just for the 50s and 60s, but for people right back into the 20s.”
“And they’ll sit there and talk to you for days about what some of these cars did, and some of these cars do have a history in Parry Sound. So there’s history in all these cars, that appeals to all ages,” he says. “Plus, they’re shiny and bright so the kids love ‘em, mine has an ah-oo-ga horn,”
Young or old alike, all have questions, like: “Do you drive it? Do you own it? Can I buy it? Where can I buy one?”
“Where do you get that work done?” is a good one to get Tudor talking. For him, like many in the club, the building is the “fun part”.
“ And when it’s done, I’m looking around and my wife is worried about what I’m going to do next,” he says, chuckling. “But, she always knows where I am – I’m in the garage.”
The club was started in 1989 by Fred Crossman, Vince Bondi, Garnet Smith, Keith Crisp, and Dennis Jeffery.
“A bunch of us were sitting around at Garnet Smith’s farm in Broadbent, and we all decided to buy cars and restore them,” Keith remembers. “We decided to start a club for pleasure and to keep the old [and] antique cars alive.”
Through the club, members saw how others were rebuilding or restoring their cars, and helped each other out.
Keith’s choice for restoration was a ‘69 Mercury Montcalm convertible.
“It was 19-feet from bumper to bumper,” he recalls. “ It wouldn’t fit into the parking spots on the main street in town because it was too long. I had to take two spots.”
From an original foundation of ten or 12 members, the club has grown each year, to boast a membership of 86 today.
While it started as a group of car enthusiasts sitting around talking cars, it quickly evolved into a social club and more recently, began raising money for local charities through its CruZe Nites.
“We’ve raised quite a bit of money for local charities, including $9,600 for the Foundation for the West Parry Sound Health Centre,” says Tudor.
The club also donates to Harvest Share, the Salvation Army food bank and Help Kids Play. CruZers also help to provide medical aids or assist with other special needs in the community through their CruZe Nite fundraising.
Besides getting out to the CruZe Nites, club members are often invited to parades where convertibles are particularly sought after to transport dignitaries. The recent Dragon Boat parade was no exception, when Peter Kozluk in his 1966 Dodge Polara paraded Tony Clement on the route; Ivan McNaught with his 1975 Pontiac Grandville convertible carried Norm Miller in classic style and Boyd Little took some of the children’s poster contest winners in his 1958 Ford convertible, as did Tudor in his sedan.
Club members often get together for outings such as the Mother’s Day trip when about 20 cars convoyed to Magnetawan for brunch; the Fall Colour Cruise; the Gravenhurst Show and Shine, the Orillia Rock n Roll Tribute Classic; the Ahmic Harbour Parade and a variety of area fall fairs.
Each year, the Parry Sound Kinsmen Club invites the CruZers to the annual Show and Shine at the Kinsmen Park just north of town, with this summer’s event coming up on August 25.
A 50s Rock n Roll Twilight CruZe on the Island Queen on August 14, is expected to draw a larger than usual crowd of car buffs out to this particular CruZe Nite. Once again the CruZers will invite folks out to talk cars and take them back to an era when they admit they had a 'ton of fun'.
“Dances, girlfriends, taking off to the drive-in, taking off to the movies ..,” recalls Tudor. “ Actually one of the famous movies about that time was American Graffiti – just a classic – it deals with the same small town [atmosphere] like we have here.”
“A bunch of us had cars,” he says, recalling that the CruZers’ former president, Simon Stanley, had a really nice little beige and tan hot rod back in high school and a Plymouth Barracuda that he’d drag race back in those days. Tudor, meanwhile, had sports cars mainly - an MG Midget, an Austin Healey Sprite, and an Austin Healey 3000.
“We drove all over town – we had one cop car then and as soon as we knew where that was, we were everywhere else,” he says. “Stan Miner, Cookie, and Buck Abbott used to be police officers here and they knew us well, and where to find us.”
“It was just a lot of fun with cars and trying to be not dangerous with them...” says Tudor, who describes the scenario as being very much like Parry Sound’s own little American Graffiti.
Yes, there’s a lot of history in the CruZers’ collection and together through the club, members are helping each other to preserve the cars and their nostalgic appeal.
CruZin’ Through Time
CruZer's Car Club
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