Picnic in the Park

Well, it was supposed to be in the Hanson Park, but the weather did not co-operate, and we had to hold the picnic inside the Hanson House because of the rain. This move caused the committee to make some adjustments to the plans. Large tablecloths were used to cover and protect the surfaces of the tables in the dining room and the annex. One table was set up for the ice cubes, soda, and dessert, while the food was laid out on the large table in the annex.

All of this work was done by Barbara Sokol and Bette Hulighan, and the Society wishes to sincerely thank them for so doing. The rain prevented the grilling of hamburgers and hot dogs, so instead we purchased and served a number of small delightful sandwiches from White Castle, as well as a container of hot coffee, and it was not long before they were all eaten. Also on the menu were deviled eggs, salads, cookies, soda, a variety of potato chips, and desserts.

In the course of the afternoon, our president, Charles Shallcross, made a few comments thanking the staff for their work and the members for attendance in such rainy weather for a picnic. He announced a slate of candidates for the annual election in October, with himself as president, Joanne Rajoppi as vice-president, Linda Daubner as secretary, and William Frolich as treasurer. The members of the Board of Trustees, with the addition of new member John Prescott, will simply move up a year.

About thirty members and guests were in attendance for a pleasant afternoon of conversation with each other, and at the end of the day the clean-up crew did their job and the area was left spotless.

Next Meeting Date

December 9 will be the date of our next meeting. An interesting program will be presented, with slides of hundred year old Christmas post cards from the collection of Charles Shallcross, who has been gathering them for many years. This will also be our traditional annual Holiday Meeting.

Pictures From Our Files

Displayed above is a car once quite familiar to our oldest members: a ninety-nine year old Ford touring automobile. It has a canvas roof, but who wants to be under a roof on hot summer weather? Driving anywhere in the good old days was a bit of an adventure, for many of the roads were not well-paved and a smart motorist always had a large tool box stowed in his car equipped to handle almost any problem.

Cars such as this one carried inflated spare tires on each side of the car, and also two fastened to its rear. A hand-operated air pump and a rubber tube patching kit were also an essential part of traveling. For a weekend of touring those four spare tires might not have been enough, and it would be necessary to dismantle a tire, remove the inner tube, locate and patch the puncture.

Patching the puncture was a rather simple task using the repair material in the repair kit. The kit contained an assortment of rubber patches with a cover over their sticky surface, along with a tube of rubber cement. After roughing the area of the puncture, a layer of cement was applied to the inner tube and allowed to dry. With the protective cover removed, the patch was carefully placed over the puncture and it instantly bonded to the tube.

Then came the task of re-assembling the tube and tire on the rim, inflating it with the hand pump, and re-installing it on the wheel. Pack up the tools, crank up the engine, and be off again.

Some early cars had tires mounted on split rims, and if you had the proper tool it was easy to compress the rim and withdraw the tube from the tire. Without that device it was possible but very difficult. The tool was a three-clawed gadget with a crank, and when fitted to the edge of the rim and turned, it pulled in the rim. Be careful that you don’t get your fingers pinched while working on this tire.

Over the Back Fence

We hear that Herb Singe, a noted collector of antique automobiles, has bought a brand new modern auto. Will wonders never cease?