Silvertop's first parade

Silvertop, the '62 Lark who lets me tend to her, went to her first parade today, and what a time she had!

By way of background, a reporter for the local newspaper, the Daily Kennebec Journal, has been sort of following my effort over the past couple of years to put a Studebaker on the road. When I called her last week to promote the local ham radio club's participation in today's Winthrop (ME) Merchants' Christmas Parade, I mentioned that I would also be in it with Silvertop. Betty thought that was a story in itself, and came down to the house with a photographer in tow, and Silvertop and I ended up on the front page of the local section as the lead feature with a promo for the parade.

Today I took a half day off from work, came home for Silvertop, and off we went to Winthrop, about 10 miles west of Farmingdale.

Now when I think of parades, I kind of picture the Fourth of July, with sunshine and warm, gentle breezes. Not so here in Maine today! The temperature was just above freezing, and the wind was blowing a full gale. But Silvertop was happy to be out, and ran flawlessly. People lined both sides of Main Street for the half-mile parade route.

They waved, they smiled, they called out that their Uncle Jack or cousin Edith or someone else in their family used to have a Studebaker. The ones under 40 asked what kind of car it was. And many shouted that they saw it in the paper yesterday. And all the while, I grinned like a Cheshire cat. I was really proud of old Silvertop.

I kind of felt sorry for the guy behind me. He had a beautiful 1964 1/2 Mustang notchback, and hardly anyone waved to him. Silvertop had them awed, and kept their attention until after the Mustang had gone by.

About a month ago, I wrote a blog to this group about the day I became a true member of the Studebaker Drivers Club. Today I discovered why I became a Studebaker driver.

Bill

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Chile B
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