Cruisin' through Westminster this summer
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Car owners and enthusiasts gathered on the field behind the Westminster Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on Tuesday evening as part of the Cruise Night event that will run once a week though the middle of August. JOURNAL PHOTO/CAITLYN KELLEHER

The cars arrived one by one on the field behind the Westminster Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on Tuesday evening for the second Cruise Night of the year.

This summer the VFW is hosting members of the North County Street Rods and other car collectors to share the evening.

"If you have a $3,000 car that you are still working on, you are as appreciated just as much as if you have a $50,000 or $100,000 car," said Westminster resident Joe Safron, the treasurer of the club.

Many of the Cruise Nights across the state limit cars to those made before 1972, but sometimes there are no limits.

Safron brought his 1968 Corvette to display on Tuesday.

"It's a social thing and you get to show off your car," Safron said. "I've had the Corvette for 38 years."

He bought the car in 1969 when it was almost brand new.

Mike Desjean, of Fitchburg, studies one of the cars on display. JOURNAL PHOTO/CAITLYN KELLEHER

"I do all the work on it myself," he said. "I used to race it. I drive it as much as I can."

After returning from his military service in Vietnam, Safron bought the car and got his training in car repair at Burt's Garage, which was located at the corner of Nicholas and Main streets in Westminster.

Today he spends about five or six hours a week working on and cleaning his cars, as well as additional time going to car shows, Cruise Nights, and other events.

Safron owns other collectors' cars, including a 1932 Ford and 1968 Chevrolet. He is working on rebuilding a 1955 Chevy station wagon.

Collecting cars sometimes is a way to remember different parts of the past.

For George and Christa Aiken, of Westminster, the purchase of their 1934 Oldsmobile 11 years ago was a return to George's past. He owned the same model car when he was in his late 20s, but had to sell it to be able to finish paying for college.

"It's one of two known to exist," he said. There were only 128 of these cars made.

The couple takes the car, which has mostly new parts inside, to a variety of car shows throughout the summer as well as for rides around town.

"It's a lot of fun," Christa said.

She said the other drivers on the road are very interactive when they drive by, for example they give thumbs up and beeps.

"He's always liked to work on cars," Christa said of her husband. "I had to get interested because he is."

For some people the cars have become collectors' items after a long life as a daily use car.

Joe McIntyre, of Westminster, has rebuilt his 1964 Corvette from the top to the bottom.

"I've had that car since 1969," he said. "I put 200,000 miles on it before I did it over."

He comes to as many Cruise Nights as he can and spends five to six hours a week working on the car.

Richard Spencer, of Westminster, has repaired and prizes his aunt's former Chevrolet.

"That car has been in the family since 1965," he said. "(My aunt) didn't drive it for the last five or six years of her life and it just sat in the garage."

Spencer inherited the car, which has recently been repainted, and originally kept it to help remember his aunt. Now he works on the car often with his son, Jim, and his grandson, Jacob.

"It was bought by my aunt for $3,200 originally," he said.

The car goes into storage in the winter but comes out every summer. Most of the car is still comprised of the original pieces.

"If it's rainy it doesn't go out," Spencer said. "I don't want water to splash up underneath it."

Spencer has not had any formal training on car repair so he has learned as he has worked. He and his son have an easier time working on the Chevrolet then they do on Jim's 1991 Firebird.

"Jimmy's car has a computer in it so it is complicated, but this is simple," he said.

The complexity of modern cars compared to the simplicity of older cars is something that Paul Bagley, the automotive instructor at Leominster High School, knows well. He brought the 1969 Chevy Camaro that the students helped to rebuild to Tuesday's show.

He said because of all of the computerized parts in modern cars the students have used the Camaro to learn the basics. The students move from working on different parts of the Camaro to the modern cars brought into the shop.

It took the students, about 33 in total, over a year to complete the work.

"That car was in pretty rough shape when we got it," he said.

The City of Leominster bought the car for the students to repair and is now looking to auction the car off. The auction is expected to start sometime in August.

Westminster resident George Jones came to socialize and look at other people's cars on Tuesday night but didn't bring his 1972 Novia with him.

He holds on to the car he has rebuilt twice because of the sentimental value of it.

"It's more sentimental because my dad and I did it together and now my son and I do it together.

He bought the car 25 years ago as something to tinker with and he now drives a couple of times a week. Jones said it's harder to spend money on it now that he is retired.

This is the first year the Cruise Nights have been hosted in Westminster. There is dinner being served at the VFW and Saforn, whose is also a member of VFW, said they hope this can help raise a little money for the VFW. The Cruise Nights will run on Tuesdays through mid-August from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. behind the VFW.