Folks Of Interest Cruise on Main- The Way It Was

I recently attended the Cruisin' On Main car show event in Manchester, CT. It's a great event and a nice day out with family and friends and our cars. In the participant goody bag, there is always a little newspaper created by a local publisher that explains the event happenings, etc. I actually opened it and read it this year and there was one article that I believe was worth sharing with everyone here. A little glimpse into the hot rodding past of Main Street in Manchester, CT. It is written by Walt Scadden. I hope you enjoy it!

Suppertime, a Thursday night in early August 1960. After eating and doing their chores a small group of 14 and 15-year-old boys ride their bikes to Deci's Drive-In on Center street in Manchester, hoping to catch a preview of the Hot Rods that would be on Main Street tonight. Manchester had become ground zero for Rods and Custom cars.

They would come to town because the stores would be open late. Keeping the stores open until 9pm was a master marketing ploy, which became a social experiment, almost a cultural event.

For the older folks it was a chance to see friends and relatives. For the younger set, it was a chance to see and be seen.

It was not unusual to have a couple thousand people on Main Street on any given Thursday night- a collection of the cool and not so cool. At a point, the car culture had pretty much taken over.

The Hot Rod car clubs wore their silk-style varsity jackets, elaborately embroidered with their emblems: The Carbs, Cam Twisters, Tie Rods, and Nomads. Those groups all provided some high-end rolling stock. There was the refrigerator white Ford Coupe, and the "Ice box" as well as the custom lead sled, the "Mystery Merc." From town came the beautiful early 50's Plymouth Convertible Custom, the "Blue Angel" and the ground pounding '59 Chevy Impala, the "Green Cricket."

From the legendary McCann's Texaco came their cl***ic '36 Ford Roadster and Jr.'s Oldsmobile powered '40 Ford Coupe. The cars parading up and down Main Street upset some of the local merchants who had the ear of local officials. Police officers were stationed at the top of Main street and the Terminus at the bottom to prevent the Hot Rods from making laps up and down Main street. Officers also were placed on Route 6 on the east end of town and on the West Middle Turnpike to prevent the unwanted from coming into town.

This actually did little to prevent the Thursday night show. There was very little trouble and by all accounts businesses did very well. Manchester's reputation grew in the car community as many of the local Hot Rodders became well-known. Local driver Bob Price took it to new heights driving Moriarty's "Big Red" in professional events, getting coverage in national magazines.

As in all things, the scene began to change. No longer were all the cars built by local talent. Now you could go to Dillon Ford or Carter Chevrolet and buy Detroit's version of a modern day Hot Rod. Now 50 years later, the Hot Rods are still on Main street, but in a much different venue. The ultra successful "Cruisin/ on Main" brings over 1600 Hot Rods, Custom, and Cl***ic cars to the early August event, along with 30,000 spectators-all to support local charities.

Isn't it interesting to think that all those decades ago officials tried everything they could to keep those cars off Main street, and today they do everything they can to get them to attend. Could this be irony or a manifestation of the old saying, "What goes around comes around?" Regardless, if cars are your thing, Cruisin' on Main is the place to be.

In the photos below are: Tom McCann Jr.'s 1936 Ford Roadster Flathead and his Oldsmobile powered '40 Ford Coupe.

 

thats pretty cool

 

Not to be nit picky but for the record Tom's ride looks like a '35 Cabriolet, thanks for the great old pic's as I save all '35 '36 pic's in a folder!

 

itvery well could be and the photo might be labeled wrong but their shop was famous for turning out an impressive '36. Lets not get too nit picky; i believe Tom McCann Jr. is no longer around and only his brother is left so these photos are likely supplied 2nd hand. Their texaco station in town was apparently a pretty famous shop. I'd like to find out more history and photos but old photos are hard to come by

 

These "two" are actually the same car. It was worded wrong. The Ice Box was a 33/34 5w that was bright white with chromed door hinges, just like the old iceboxes in houses had. Wicked heavy chop and channel.

The oldtimers said the car started off with an early Cad, but later went to a fully dressed nailhead, which was still in there, into the 1970s. It had a shorty 32 shell with a chrome spiderweb insert. It was very well known in the Autorama's as well as on the track. Last known location after leaving Coventry, Ct in the mid 70s, was "somewhere in a Fla residential garage minus the nail".


As far as Deci's; if you had a fast car in the surrounding towns, you would go there...and if it was fast enough for that place, you went straight to the Berlin Turnpike.

 

great memories!

 

Senior McCann has p***ed but his son Todd keeps the flame alive and is a fixture in the CT Hot Rod scene. There is lots of history out of the Manchester area.

 

manchester has a way back hot rod history, used to leave deci's and go to new state rd to race , then 384 while they were building it .the pike was right down the road on a fri or sat night . I sold JR a sportster before he pased that he put a pig painted side car on. Todd is still running the coupe to shows and it is still in great shape

 

I thought Deci's was over in Rockville on Rt83?

 

no, but I know 83 in Rockville pretty good...where abouts?

I can't think of a car hangout from Rockville center all the way to Vernon Circle, except for McDonalds near the circle. The circle is gone now, but it's where 83 goes under 84, by the Goodyear store.


...well, way, way back, Friendly's was then up near the Maple Steet school in Rockville. A few used to hang out there. The one I recall was a 35 5w with cycle front fenders ...oh, and a 392 35 5w from Ellington.

 

There's a laundrymat shaped like the Deci's pic past Johnny's Mobil headed towards Scranton Motors, kind of across from the ****y bar. I always ***umed that was the place.

The guy my grandfather sold his 40 coupe to floored it out of Deci's one night and spun the car around and stalled it in the road...so the story goes...

 

I remember Thursday nights on Main St in the mid 60s. Jr. was a friend and is missed. My elder and a mentor. As a kid we aired up out bicycle tires at the garage. Sr McCann showed me how to change a U joint and do a tune up on my Dodge in his personal garage on Carol Drive. These were good people and we would do well to have more of them today.