Car Cruises

By Jerry Zufelt

Editor

The devotion to the American automobile continues to bring people to parish car cruises for a day of summer fun and fundraising.

At St. James Parish in New Alexandria, the power and beauty of classic and antique cars will be on display at the seventh annual car show and ethnic dinner June 2 at 11 a.m. If the weather is good, organizers expect as many as 200 cars.

Msgr. Larry J. Kulick, pastor, will proudly talk about his lifelong devotion to one manufacturer. He will show the 1966 Pontiac LeMans that he rode in coming home from the hospital as a newborn, the car that became his 18th birthday present from his grandmother. He will also show his 1949 Pontiac Streamliner Deluxe.

The Starry family, parishioners for several generations, owns a classic car restoration business in New Alexandria that sells cars around the U.S. and overseas. They will have several on display at the show.

To help promote the event, Ron Starry took “The Accent On-Air” crew for a ride in his pride and joy, a cream yellow 1948 Buick Roadmaster convertible, the sixth he has owned.

And there will be muscle cars, including the Chevy Corvette that parishioner Bridget Widdowson, a retired Army National Guard colonel and Corvette fan, bought for herself after returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2004.

Trophies will be awarded for Pastor’s Pick, Best of Show and first, second and third place. Registration is free and begins at 11. Dinners featuring a variety of ethnic foods will be on sale at $8 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: 724-668-2829.

The list of car cruises at diocesan parishes is available in the Summer Event Guide tab.