Ken and Sandy Green of Cumming, Georgia are new VAE members. They brought their 1933 Cadillac Town Coupe to the August 2025 show in Waterbury and it was judged Best in Show – Prewar as well as 1st place in Class 3.
The original mission was to bring my freshly restored 1940 Roadmaster convertible to Vermont to show Clark Wright what I had accomplished. Clark, along with my dad, was instrumental in my commitment to special interest cars dating back to the 70s when I was a teenager. The 1940 Buick Special was my first car and while in high school I’m sure I pestered Clark and others who were members of the VAE for parts and advice. I had many happy hours hiking around Joe Bettis’ junkyard and chatting up Mr. Jones, also of Morrisville, for hard to acquire parts and advice. If I recall, Mr. Jones took some time to warm up to me, but it might have been the grease under my fingernails that softened him up. Both of these men were solid Buick guys. That Buick went on to other pastures as I went to college.
The Roadmaster was not completed in time for the show so I brought an alternate. The alternate was my 1933 Cadillac Town Coupe with the V12. This car was purchased for touring. Entering it in judging at the August show was a last minute “sure why not” decision. With the car loaded in my trailer, my wife, Sandy, and I began the roughly 18-hour drive north. The chosen route was the west side of the Appalachians on I-81. The trip had to be timed so that we could meet another early 30s Cadillac guy in New York to pick up a factory correct metal spare tire cover for the back of the car. That was a great find and according to the copy of the build sheet that I have, was part of the original order. Our second night was in Bennington where we could unload the car to tour the town for several hours. We opted for a motel experience and we were able to park the car directly outside of our room. The remaining trip up to Waterbury was an adventure. While Vermont hadn’t seen much rain for a long time, our entire trip through the state on the way to Waterbury was in a heavy downpour with detours due to road closures. Once we got off the beaten path and into areas with no GPS reception, we really got a circuitous tour. Upon arrival at the Old Stagecoach Inn, we were immediately immersed into a crowd of club regulars who stayed at that hotel every year. That was also our first introduction to Ken and Nancy Gypson. A significant part of the show experience for us was the camaraderie at the Old Stagecoach Inn throughout the duration of the show. That really rounded out the experience for us. The Cadillac was dutifully parked for the show and to my amazement drew a crowd. I had wonderful conversations with VAE members and other long time show attendees, a couple of whom shared maintenance tips for the car. To me, that was ample reward for bringing the car to the show. There is a saying that you come for the cars, but stay for the people. I had the pleasure of meeting John McCabe and Roy Martin. Both were very welcoming souls. I ran into an old neighbor, Miles Freme, also a VAE member. Clark attended for a brief moment, but couldn’t stay. I had intended to attend my 50 year high school reunion in Essex, so Bob Chase accepted the task of driving my car in the parade. There were so many people that shared time with me that it made for a truly wonderful show.
Wrapping up our story, after the show we stored the car at a friend’s house for a couple weeks while returning to Georgia before returning after Labor Day for more time with childhood friends. I drove the car on old familiar roads like Upper and Lower Pleasant Valley Road and the now paved Skunk Hollow road between Williston and Jericho. Vermont is a terrific place to drive old cars as the traffic is sparce and the scenery is nearly as vintage as the old car. The next leg took us over to Rockport, Maine for a Caravan tour with the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA). In all, I logged over 1300 miles in the car during this trip. The car performed well, new acquaintances were made, old friends visited and I renewed my membership after a couple decades lapse since my high school days. I’ll also note that it is very encouraging to see young talent within the VAE membership. My wife and I hope to make this an annual trek and look forward to receiving the very well-prepared Wheel Tracks magazine. (Editor’s note: We did not pay him to say that.)
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