19th Summer Nationals drive in; Crowds admire owner attitudes.

Byline: Steven H. Foskett Jr.

WORCESTER - Pesa Shayo lives near Green Hill Park, and often takes his children on walks through the meandering city park.

But yesterday the park was slightly less tranquil - although more colorful - than usual, as the Summer Nationals car show rolled into the city.

Skid marks scattered about Skyline Drive provided a "map" to where the various makes and models of classic cars, muscle cars, new cars, old cars, hot rods, rat rods, and trucks were cruising along and resting on the lush green hills.

Mr. Shayo said he has lived in the neighborhood for a while, and is no stranger to the Summer Nationals. But this was his first time walking through the park during the annual weekend festival.

"We can usually hear them," Mr. Shayo said. "They make a lot of noise."

His young daughter, Matilda, seemed particularly intrigued by an old Plymouth; she said she liked the red color. Across the street, a Nissan Altima with vertically hinged doors caught her eye, too. But she said when she grows up she doesn't want some big brawny muscle car.

"I want a slug bug," Matilda said, referring to an old Volkswagen Beetle.

By late afternoon, many of the cars had left the park and were either out on the city streets, burbling and chugging at stop lights, cruising the downtown area, or parked in the north Main Street area that also holds several Summer Nationals events, including the acrid but entertaining burnouts. Hundreds of people lined the Ernest A. Johnson Tunnel, as police directed traffic around the closed-off streets.

Back up at the park, Karen and Mark Blanchard, along with family and friends, were hunkering down for the night. Surrounded by beautiful old cars, the Blanchards said they make it a tradition to come to the Summer Nationals and camp out for the weekend.

The Blanchards, who run Cruisin' at the Club, a cruise night at the Coldbrook Country Club in Barre, said they were glad the weather held yesterday - at least until about 7:30 p.m., when the rain finally came down. They were hoping for more of the same today and tomorrow, when the event continues.

Mr. Blanchard said it's a family-friendly event, and he looks forward to it every year. He said some people may have been scared away this year because of news reports the event might not happen.

"I still had people asking me if it was still on," Mr. Blanchard said.

He said the Summer Nationals are an important yearly event for him and his wife, and said he hopes it keeps going in the years to come.

"This event means a lot to her," he said. "It means a lot to a lot of people. A lot of people would be disappointed if it didn't happen."

The Blanchards had several cars on display, including a 1964 Buick Electra and a 1966 Buick Skylark Grand Sport. Both cars were impeccably clean inside and out, and both sported gigantic V-8 engines. Mr. Blanchard restored the Skylark mostly by himself. He said the engine only has a few hundred miles on it, and turns out about 500 horsepower.

"I take it out to things like this, for cruise nights, out with our club," Mr. Blanchard said. "Sometimes we take it to church, too."

And in the "one of these doesn't belong" category, the Blanchards also brought along an old Jaguar XK140 roadster. Red and curvaceous with the original leather still lining the seats, the old Jag, with its European racing pedigree and old whitewall tires, held its own among the old American iron.

Mrs. Blanchard said she inherited the Jaguar after her father died in 2004. Her father had the car passed down from Mrs. Blanchard's grandfather, who bought it new for about $3,850. Unlike the other cars in the Blanchard stable, the couple has made no modifications to the Jaguar, although its red paint continued to shine in the late afternoon sun yesterday.

"It's a cool car," Mrs. Blanchard said. "It's a cool sports car."

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOG: (1, 2, 3 AND 5) T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA; (4) T&G Staff/MARK C. IDE

CUTLINE: (1) Grace Black of Palmer sits alongside a 1933 Ford pickup at the 19th annual New England Summer Nationals, which began yesterday in Green Hill Park. (2) At the 19th annual New England Summer Nationals yesterday, Ian Hunter of Deerfield (left, top of page) and Len Chabot of Hudson compare the Lamborghini-style doors on their cars; (3) Wayne Dobrosielski of Beverly (above) puts a shine on his 1971 Dodge Dart; (4) Sgt. Peter Towler (above right) shows an auto enthusiast from New York how to get to Green Hill Park from downtown; (5) and Jack Evans of Holderness, N.H., (right) checks out a 1926 Model T roadster owned by Spencer and Joe Hill of Plymouth, N.H.