Vintage vehicles fill Falls Village

FALLS VILLAGE — The Falls Village Car and Motorcycle Show took over downtown Falls Village on a pleasant summer day Sunday, July 13.

Everywhere one looked there were cars. Organizer Judy Jacobs said the total number of registered cars exceeded 600 but as of Monday morning, July 14 she was still sorting through registrations.

Jacobs said there were more spectators than ever before.

Included in the mix:

Tom Stansfield’s 1986 AMC CJ7 Jeep, outfitted in “expedition mode” with useful accessories such as oars, a box of Army rations and a stuffed bear’s head.

A 1950 Chevy panel truck, with a remarkable varnished plywood floor in the back. Owner Tony Funigiello of New Fairfield said “That’s 1950s plywood. You couldn’t do that with modern plywood; it would start chipping and flaking.”

He said he has owned the truck for 13 years. “I bought it for the body. The mechanics were shot.”

A 1950 Chevy panel truck was in wonderful condition, especially the varnished plywood floor in the cargo area. Owner Tony Funigiello of New Fairfield said the effect could not be replicated with modern plywood.Patrick L. Sullivan

Patrick L. Sullivan

Sergei Fedorjaczenko and his yellow 1970 Fiat Spider are a familiar sight in Falls Village. He said he has owned several over the years and has learned one thing for sure.

“They tend to rust out from the underside.”

Dick Bunce from North Canaan had an immaculate 1952 Willys Jeep in the show. He said he bought in 2018 from a seller in Middletown who kept similarly good care of it.

“No rust,” he said. “It’s very hard to find one of these without rust.”

He said he keeps it garaged, next to a 1949 version.

The Hungry Tiger All-Stars, the house band at the bar of the same name in Manchester, played a version of the Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride.”Patrick L. Sullivan

One item was not a car or a motorcycle. It was a 1920s Hercules Economy engine, five horsepower, mounted in a trailer attached to a tractor.

The whole shebang belonged to Hunter Whitmore of Goshen, who said he uses the engine to run a saw and a log splitter.

As he talked the engine rumbled and sputtered.

Whitford said he brought the tractor and engine up as is from Goshen on Saturday, July 12, around 5 p.m. Asked if he annoyed the weekend motorists, he laughed and said that some of them indicated with hand gestures that “I was Number One!”

The newly opened Off the Trail Cafe was buzzing hard at 10:15 a.m., with a dozen customers inside, a mix of car show visitors and Appalachian Trail hikers.

And on the Town Green the band, the Hungry Tiger All-Stars from Manchester, were performing a sound check prior to kicking off their first set at about 11 a.m.

The car show started 15 years ago in conjunction with the 80th anniversary of Jacobs Garage. This year was the 95th anniversary.

Proceeds go to the Housatonic Valley FFA chapter and the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department.

Lakeville Journal Intern Mia DiRocco contributed to this article.