The 12th Annual Conshohocken Car Show

March 30, 2014

Cars, Cars, Cars

Onto The 12^th Annual Conshohocken Car show

By Jack Coll

Now with the Conshohocken Saint Patrick’s Day Parade behind us, not to mention the brutal winter weather, it’s time to move onto the 12^th Annual Conshohocken Car show sponsored by the Mayor’s Special Events Committee. This year’s car show will be held on Saturday June 7, starting around 10:00 a.m., and we can expect to see some of the great cars of the past as well as what’s hot right now such as the Wichita GMC Sierra 1500.

Last year we had some really cool cars like the 1917 Dodge Brothers Touring Car owned by Neal Bradley, or Vico Cognata’s 1935 Ford Pick-up Truck. Carl Conquest brought his 1946 Pick-up Truck all the way from West Conshohocken, and look for George Dietzel to be parked on Fayette Street with his 1964 Chevy Corvair. Bob Janischek will likely be here with his 1957 Pick-up Truck. Carl Malantonio has this big red boat of a car, a 1969 Pontiac that he loves showing off and maybe Ron Rodenbaugh will show off his 1946 Ford Tudor, this thing is really cool looking.

I hope David Smith will show up with all his Corvair glory, and I love Mike Santoro’s 1966 Ford Mustang. I remember Bob Carroll from School Line Drive in King of Prussia showing up last year with a 1936 Ford Coup, I remember his car because growing up in Hughes Park I spent a lot of time over on School Line Drive. Here’s a familiar name, Gary Picard, who now-a-days tours with his 1975 Corvette Coupe, I ran around with Gary for a while back in the days of our cars terrorizing residents in Upper Merion Township, I’m not sure if residents who live in Upper Merion Township even admit that they live in the township anymore, everyone I talk to in Upper Merion now-a-days say they are from “King of Prussia,” that’s a little too high class for me.

Well back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when Upper Merion was still just a middle class neighborhood I can remember guys like Mark Volpe cruising Rt. 202 in his polished Duster, and an old friend of mine Gene Toth with a really good looking Roadrunner, it got up pretty good as I remember. Talkin cars reminds me of Tony Blewit kickin’ back in his Camaro, Billy Walker in his Vette, and Charlie Moore in his spit spot Nova.

Back in my day Route 202 was burning with automobile activity on a Friday and Saturday night. Much like High Street in Pottstown, I think a lot of those guys hung out at the Hilltop Ice Cream joint if I remember right. Over in Phoenixville there’s was plenty of activity on Bridge Street, and even at the Geno’s about a block from the hospital, I remember one night when a few of us Upper Merion boys stopped in the Phoenixville Geno’s for a little dance, it didn’t last long. Of course we would cruise over to the Ridge in Roxborough where street rod activity could be found on the weekends, but there was still nothing like Front Street in South Philly.

Well in my day it was 202, Geno’s, the Valley Forge Diner and Burger King, and every once in a while we would cruise into the Valley Forge Shopping Center just to harass the pot heads. Not exactly street rods but I fondly remember Jeff Smiths van, he was our token pot head, God Rest his Soul, he was a funny guy, and we shared a lot of good nights together. Jeff was a King Manor Boy, him and Gary Conti who drove a GTO, that thing could get up, I think his brother drove a 55 Chevy for a while, not sure about that. A good friend of mine Dave Pasquale was also a King Manor boy who drove this piece of crap Ford Falcon 210, this thing couldn’t get out of its own way but I never saw that car with a speck of dirt on it.

Looking across Geno’s lot I remember seeing Dave Palumbo’s orange Swinger, Robbie Cermanski’s 1964 Chevy, the same one he ran through the wall at Burger King, a number of 1955 Chevy’s including Royce Keen’s, Bobby Reinbold’s and Eddie McCarthy’s white Five, the very one that drove Donna and I to church on that wonderful day nearly 41 years ago. You also had Freddy Kurkowski, Gary Picard, some guy with what we called a “Mailbox” car, Dave Thomas in the corner with his Bug and Shamrock with his GTO. Then there was Tony Volpe, he had this big shinny something or other loaded with trips, he would stop in at Wilson’s Gas station then located on the corner of 202 and Allendale Road, he would get five dollars in gas, about six times a night, but burn about two dollars of gas before he left the lot, he loved spinning about 35 donuts around the pumps on his way out.

Isn’t life funny, we had a Car Show every night of the week back in Upper Merion, you didn’t need to register, you didn’t need to pay an entry fee, you just needed to show up, by the time you stopped and looked at everyone else’s car, the night was over, the late 1960’s and early 1970’s were good years for all of us, we lived a week every night of our lives back then, and then the kids came along, and life got just a little bit better, how cool!

On June 7, you can look for a 1986 Chevy Caprice owned by Beth and Joe Januzelli, or a 1987 Mercedes Benz owned by Chris Doyle. Maybe Dave Thomas will show up with his own version of his 1955 Chevy Belair and chances are you don’t want to miss seeing Kay and George Walk’s 1954 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe, or as we used to call them, “A Boat.” Last year Lou Winnemore brought his 1950 Mercury and a man after my own heart George Rendell showed off his 1966 Pontiac GTO.

One of the more exciting showings last year were the cars of Condon & Skelly Collectible Auto’s, man they really impressed with a 1931 Ford Model “A”, a 1951 Buick Super 8, a 1967 Austin Taxicab, (really cool) a 1963 Cadillac Eldorado, (another car we called “a boat,”) a really good looking 1929 Ford Truck, and a 1974 Chevy Caprice, man I’m telling you these guys put on a show with their car collection, I really hope to see these guys again this year!

This year’s show will once again be held on Fayette Street from Third Avenue –Tenth Avenue, with about 75 trophies handed out. The Mayor’s committee is once again looking forward to having The Pin Up Girls along with all the other activities of the day.

It would be nice to see some old friends show up including Dave Tassoni, Jim Brooke, Richard Racich, Bill Lattanize, Joe Greco, Moe Keys, and Danny McArthur. Billy John and Company usually shows up with something interesting as does Chuck Hempsher. This guy Dan Dmytrus has a pretty 1957 Chevy Belair that the brings up from Wilmington Delaware, and I liked seeing Joan Young’s 1973 Ford Gran Torino last year, she takes really good care of that car.

Listen, I don’t want to bore anyone with all the details I’m just looking forward to getting outside, seeing some really nice cars, and taking in the sun. When I walk up Fayette on June 7, no doubt, my mind will wander back to Route 202, some 40-45 years ago, and I’ll remember the car show I attended every night of my life, yea, and thanks for the memories, nice to be alive to talk about it!

This column is brought to you by

The Great American Pub &

The Conshohocken Italian Bakery