RSS 2.0 FeedJuly 8, 2010, Bellmore Life
Car show to get new ownership
A meeting among several local groups and Nassau County police ended with promises of new opportunities to insure and secure the longtime car show that has been a mainstay at the Long Island Rail Road parking lot on Fridays during the summer months.
A meeting last week among several local groups and Nassau County police at the Mediterranean Grill on Bedford Avenue ended with promises of new opportunities to insure and secure the longtime car show that has been a mainstay at the Long Island Rail Road parking lot on Fridays during the summer months.
Ron Mare, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores, stayed on message in the face of several raucous remarks during the meeting, reassuring car enthusiasts and retailers of the chamber’s intent to keep the car show in town. Without a legal entity to secure a permit from the Town of Hempstead to use the LIRR parking lot for a car show, Nassau police have had to respond to complaints by commuters coming home from work by closing the lot.
They say they cannot get out of the lot, and have restricted movement pulling out of the parking stalls, Officer Maureen Beccaris of the First Precinct told Bellmore Life. “With a permit, restrictions could be put in place, such as starting the car show at 6 p.m. to allow commuters ample time to remove their cars” once getting off the train, Mr. Mare continued.
Right now, he said, the car show is operated by enthusiasts who don’t necessarily have the organizational skills to run the show. “They only want to show their cars.” He said they begin to gather in the parking lot at 4 p.m., causing disruptions for many commuters.
Kevin MacKinnon, of Days Gone By candy store on Bedford Avenue, remarked that the car show is essential for his business, adding that members of the South Shore Boys, a local car group, would be willing to help police assist commuters to get out of the parking lot in a safe, secure manner.
But Mr. Mare also said that some merchants, especially restaurants, are vague about the car show because car show enthusiasts and the families they attract to view the show often use restaurant restrooms without purchasing something in return. Merchants are further concerned with parking spaces for patrons in the front of the store being used by car show enthusiasts, he continued. But he said that a permit would allow for the rental of portable toilets to be used within sight of the car show, for example.
Tom Valenti, owner of Piccolo’s Ristorante, said during the meeting he didn’t want to be “bullied” by a “few squeaky wheels who are complaining about parking,” and that Bellmore was getting the “short end of the stick.” “The purpose of the meeting was to find new owners for the show – that is, an existing organization that can take it over and keep it in Bellmore,” Mr. Mare maintained at the meeting.
No stranger to town Car shows are no stranger to the Bellmore community, especially the shows at the LIRR parking lot. Several years ago, the Friday Night Cruisers featured one of the Top 10 car shows in the country at that lot. But the show was not supported by several local groups, who were vocal in their opposition. The car show lasted three years before FNC president Pat Capetti disbanded the group, suggesting to Bellmore Life at the time it was becoming too difficult to obtain a permit from the town in the face of growing community opposition.
Similar complaints from merchants were also heard during those years, and then-Bellmore Village Merchants Association president Jeff Lovering came out against the car show. Mr. Mare said the chamber board would take an up-or-down vote in the near future regarding taking over the car show. “I don’t know if the full board will agree [to ownership], but we also don’t want to see the car show go away,” he said.
Should the vote face defeat, Mr. Mare suggested the Bellmore Lions Club and Bellmore Kiwanis Club were both well-run organizations that could handle the logistics necessary to run the car show. Mr. Valenti, a member of the Kiwanis Club, and Myrna Weinman, a member of the Lions Club, both told Bellmore Life that if either club took over ownership of the car show, proceeds would go to charity.
- With additional reporting by Lauren Urban