Dream ride

I suppose the longstanding American
love affair with automobiles can be attributed to the freedom and stylistic
beauty they represent — or used to represent anyway. With the majority of
cars rolling off the assembly line today looking like enameled suppositories,
you find yourself looking back to a simpler time (I don’t know, maybe pre-1970)
when cars and the culture surrounding them were cool and the romance was still
alive.

            It
was a time of seemingly endless destinations and possibilities, when a full
tank of gas was a blank check, and when cruising not only got you somewhere,
but created an adventure along the way. You didn’t have to drive as fast. You did, but you didn’t have to. And
customizations (bumper stickers excluded), whether out of necessity or
quirkiness, were a statement about the individual behind the wheel.

            Drivers
excelled at making cars their own. Using primer instead of the pedestrian sheen
of factory paint added to a car’s ominous stance. Shaved door handles,
stripped-off chrome, chopped roofs, louvered hoods, and lowered chassis gave
cars a predatory look. Swapping out features — like headlights, taillights,
fins, fenders, grills, or trim — from one make of vehicle to another assured
a custom ride.

            Cruising
in cars back then was also an integral part of the mating ritual. A fella could
give his recently acquired romantic skills a test drive. But today? Just try
getting it on in a Neon.

            Hot
rod culture, though diminished over time, has never gone away entirely. Pockets
of grease monkeys and car buffs have always gravitated to the classic American
car and everything it stands for.

            Today,
whether it’s because of nostalgia, an excuse to get the family out of the
house, a reason to polish up the old jalopy, or just a love of classic cars,
cruise nights are flourishing in and around Rochester.

            So
I spent a few weeks checking out the scene.

            I
cruised out in my ’50 Merc (OK, so it was a’91 Taurus) to The Log Cabin Family
Restaurant in Macedon for their Wednesday cruise night. It wasn’t set to
officially start until after Memorial Day, but mid-May folks were already
chomping at the bit. In this cruise night’s summertime prime, rows of cars
stretch as far as the eye can see into the adjacent fields.

            Car
owners mingled, chatted, or lounged in lawn chairs in front of their rides,
swapping stories and giving advice; families milled around to eyeball and
admire. Smoke from the grill outside The Log Cabin wafted into the late
afternoon sun. Motors roared. Little kids ran around pointing excitedly. I
heard one father eagerly point out details to his son, who was barely old
enough to walk, much less drive.

            “That’s
a ’52,” he said.

            An
older couple was overheard chuckling and reminiscing about their teenage
romantic exploits, while standing in front of an old coupe similar to the
original scene of the crime.

            Ron
Richardson drives a 1962 Chevy Nova Convertible. It’s blindingly white with red
interior and it’s beautiful. But beyond showing off his car, Richardson loves
the networking aspect of the cruise nights.

            “I
get tons of ideas and can share ideas and get feedback,” he says. This works
particularly well for people like Hi-Riser drummer Jay Smay, customizers who
mix and match parts to personalize a classic car’s appearance and performance.
Smay’s been wrenching on cars since he was a kid with his dad. Smay’s dad
drives a 1932 Ford Five-Window Coupe.

            “It’s
always been a family thing,” he says.

            Smay,
his wife, and their little boy roll into the lot in a blue ’54 Chevy. He
strategically poses for pictures to hide the holes from where he’s removed the
trim. And he still plans on dropping it “a little lower in the weeds.” It’s a
work in progress. Hanging at cruise nights helps.

            “[It’s]
just a chance to see other people’s cars,” he says, “and get other people’s
ideas for stuff I want to do to my car.”

            Craig
Wirth of Rochester Street Rods started his love affair with cars as a kid in
the soapbox derby. He has a ’53 Buick full custom that you’d hardly even
recognize as a Buick.

            Other
guys, like R.C. Peterson, just cruise stock. Peterson drives a 1948 Oldsmobile
Model 66 Deluxe Coupe. He’s had the car for 45 years and other than pounding
out his grandmother’s dents, undoing her paint job, and hitting the pavement
with radial tires, he’s kept the car in its original condition.

            “My
grandma had it for about four years,” he says. “She tried practicing driving
with it, put some dings and dents in it, and when the paint started to fade,
she got a brush and a bucket and painted the whole thing gray.”

            And
when need be, Peterson will wrench a little.

            “I
do anything I can do that doesn’t have to be redone by a professional,” he says
with a laugh.

Cruise
nights aren’t exclusive. The romantic appeal reaches beyond the
aficionados.

            “I
think it gives a lot of people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s an opportunity — if
they’re outside the car thing, if you will — to look at these cars and enjoy
them,” Richardson says.

            The
curious walk by poking their heads in windows to dig the dash, or under hoods
to admire the might. Lots of cars are parked with the hoods agape like hungry
alligators. And some of the paint jobs are so lustrous and lush, you can
practically taste them.

            The
majority of car clubs, car shows, and even cruise nights used to have year
restrictions (pre-’64 or pre-’48 only), but lately the requirements to park
your ride have been loosened.

            “Now
it’s just kind of open to anybody with a car and the interest,” says Wirth.

            Most
late-model customizing is more about performance than appearance — hence the
open hoods flashing the horsepower inside. Though some of these drivers,
driving new factory-made high-powered cars, are considered just showroom
showoffs without the classic car passion or savvy.

            “They
got something they think other people don’t have,” says Peterson, as a
brand-new candy-apple red Corvette roars by. “And they wanna bring it out and
show it off. These are all production cars, you know? You can go to a dealer
and buy ’em.”

            Regardless,
all cars are welcome. And Wednesdays at The Log Cabin are car heaven. Muscle
cars, hot rods, roadsters, Caddies, even Toyotas — all kinds of four-wheeled
beauties — line up next to each other in row after row after row of gloss,
glass, primer, and chrome.

            Fairport
has its own cruise nights on Tuesdays, along the Canal. Kids tear around
clutching ice cream cones and couples stroll between the cars and along the
Canal clutching one another. And despite the 100 or so vehicular displays of
chromed muscle, the whole scene is like one big picnic.

            Monday
nights at Schaller’s Drive-In in Greece are a little more intimate, but all the
choice rides, the joint’s old-style neon, and the burger-scented lake breeze
make it worth the trip north.

            At
car shows, “there’s room for everything,” says Richardson. “You’ll notice
there’s a ‘cars are cars are cars’ kind of thing. There’s everything here from
young people with ‘tuner’ vehicles… to a guy who’s 24 years old, he’s a college
student at the University of Rochester, and he’s got a ’51 Chevy Custom.”

            Still,
the pioneer spirit flows. Richardson is building a land speed car out of a wing
tank from a WWII P-38 fighter plane to race on the four major dry lakes in the
Southwest.

            “My
goal is to do 200 mph in each of the four lakes,” he says. “You can’t do that
on 31F or my driveway — even though I’ve been accused of trying.”

Cruise stops

Meet Richardson and the cast of
characters along with some gorgeous rides at these various events throughout
the summer. Call ahead for start times wherever they aren’t indicated. And it
might be a good idea to arrive early if you want a good spot.

Monday

Charlie
Riedel’s, 1843 Empire Boulevard, Webster, 671-4320

DiRosato’s
Pizza, 3869 Lyell Road, Gates, 426-0270

Schaller’s
Drive-In, 965 Edgemere Drive, Greece, 865-3319

Sullivan’s
Charbroil, 4712 Ridge Road West, Spencerport, 352-5860

Tuesday

Fairport
Village, East Lift Bridge Lane, North of Canal on Route 250, Fairport,
872-4915

Magoos,
3208 Latta Road, 720-5332

Mike’s
Drive-In, 1808 State Route 104, Ontario, 315-524-3360

Pineapple
Jack’s, 485 Spencerport Road, Gates, 247-5225

Wednesday

Log
Cabin Family Restaurant, 2445 West Walworth Road, Macedon, 315-986-9224, 5
p.m.

Stoney’s
Family Restaurant, 2005 Lyell Avenue, 254-5200

Thursday

Carey
Lake, 959 Penfield Road (Rt. 441), Walworth, 315-986-1936

Silver
Lake Drive-In, Route 39 (between Perry and Castille), Perry, 237-3372

Troyer’s
Speed And Custom, 4555 Lyell Road, Gates, 349-0088, 6 p.m.

Wegmans,
345 Eastern Boulevard, Canandaigua, 394-4820

Friday

Gus
and Nancy’s Diner, Routes 14 and 318, Phelps, 315-781-2979, 5 p.m.

Colossal
Cheese Store and Ice Cream Shop, Corner of Routes 11 and 13, Pulaski,
315-298-2141

Medina
Canal Basin Off Main Street, Medina, 798-0445

Saturday

Penfield
Hots, 1794 Penfield Road, Penfield, 586-4979, 5 p.m.

Sweet
Inspirations Drive-In, Route 3, Fulton, 315-593-1522, 5 p.m.

This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2004.