Between dodging horse-drawn carts and admiring the farm country that surrounds the Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania, we also pay attention to the most beautiful Chevys and fastest racers in the Northeast U.S. We also get to meet mass quantities of people from Canada who drop by to show and race Beaumonts, Acadians, and other GM brands. Occurring just one week after the Indy Super Chevy Show, and just a few days after Trim Parts throws open their factory doors in Ohio, and treats us like kings, Maple Grove is one of those can't-be-missed events for us, and obviously for thousands of other Chevy fanatics. It's also one of the events where we see and shoot feature photos of cars that we just can't find on the West Coast (where we spend much of our time). The sun doesn't go down until about 9 p.m., and even then we're still taking photos right until we can't see the car anymore. We never had any complaints from the lucky folks who hang around for the photo shoots, though.
Maple Grove's Manufacturer's Midway is just that; it gets so packed at times you'd think the circus came to town. The swap meet and Car Corral get a lot of our attention, and this year we just couldn't quit looking at one particular stock '47 Chevy. The price was right, and if we had lived in the area, we might have anted up the bucks. However, as nice as it was, we weren't going to drive it back to California. We can still hear it calling. Oh well, maybe next year. With our luck, some fortunate show-goer probably picked it up for a song at the end of the day. Come to the show next year to see how this all comes out. The worst thing that could happen is you have a blast at the park. L
Rescue Me!
Kit Carson Finds a Friend
Harry "Kit" Carson has just completed his wild '73 Pro Stock Camaro and was inducted into the Gold Class at Indy Super Chevy. He lives in Pennsylvania, so missing the Maple Grove Show a week after Indy was not in the cards. Of course, he hadn't counted on some overly zealous local constables, but then again, who does? On his way to the show, Harry was towing a single-car trailer with the Camaro inside when a police officer stopped him for allegedly not wearing his seatbelt. He then proceeded to do a thorough inspection of the entire rig, and determined that a state sticker on the hitch of the trailer did not indicate that the trailer could haul the load of Kit's car. Never mind that no state official had ever weighed the rig, or that the sticker was based on "stated" capacity rather than the manufacturer's rating, nope; off to trailer jail it went, Camaro and all. Fortunately, Kit didn't follow suit, but he had to control himself a BUNCH. In any case, a heavy fine was involved, and the trailer couldn't be moved until the DMV issued the correct weight sticker, which wasn't going to happen until the Monday after the show.
Kit drove to Maple Grove Park where he told the tale of woe. Fortunately, the crew hauling Steve Sandlin's "Inciner8tor" '57 Chevy show car from Las Vegas, overheard and offered to help. They hooked up a trailer, drove with Kit, stood by while he begged and pleaded to at least get the Camaro out of his impounded trailer, waited until a reasonable official could be found, and then transported Kit's car back to the showground. Had that not occurred, Carson's car would not have been present in the Gold Class, a photoshoot for Camaro Performers would not have taken place, and the car would not have taken the American Colorscans Graphics Award and the Pro Street Gold Class Award. Of course, Sandlin's '57 took a well-deserved Gold Class Pro Engineered Award, and delighted the fans who couldn't get enough of the red convertible with eight turbochargers. Thanks to Steve and his crew who came to the rescue. -Tony Kelly
 Every year we notice there...  Every year we notice there are more people lining up early to "review" the cars as they come in to the show grounds. The other place we often see crowds is at the "drive-by," which is the parade of winners after the awards ceremony where the photos are taken. Either way, it's a great show. |  Meanwhile, out at the track,...  Meanwhile, out at the track, Ken Walsh was busy attempting to twist the frame right out of his 409-powered Impala. We're pretty sure this car can pull three wheels off the ground at one time. |  |
 We had to wait awhile to get...  We had to wait awhile to get a clear shot. We would never have guessed that this started as a '60 Vespa, but Ron Muler of Yardville, New Jersey, added a few of his own touches. The car took the Meguiar's Best Conversion Award. |  For kids the age of these...  For kids the age of these guys, big, tall 4x4s are the coolest, and so's the dad who owns it. John Mazzeo of Hamilton, New Hampshire, gets that distinction with his '87 Blazer, which took the Suzuki Outstanding 4x4 Award. |  Tom Guellich of Green Lane,...  Tom Guellich of Green Lane, Pennsylvania, is the original owner of this '86 IROC, which has 62,000 miles on it (not all of which are in quarter-mile bursts). The car runs high 9-second elapsed times with a 434ci engine and Accel EFI. We gave Tom an Editor's Choice Top Ten Drag Car Award. |
 Once again, a wide selection...  Once again, a wide selection of Gold Class cars came out to the show, and the fans loved 'em. |  |  Can't go wrong with a '57...  Can't go wrong with a '57 Bel Air hardtop, and we picked this one, owned by Joe LaMonaco of Chester Beach, New York, as an Editor's Choice Top Ten Show Car Award winner. |
 Where else would you want...  Where else would you want to be? |  Rich Hanna fired up his jet...  Rich Hanna fired up his jet funny car for a "run through the park." |  This might be the straightest...  This might be the straightest and smoothest '66 Chevelle you'll see this year, and we couldn't pass up awarding an Editor's Choice Top Ten Show Car Award to the owner, Kyle Phillips of Alpha, New Jersey. |