N.B. won't let anything rain on its car show
Hundreds attend Cops & Rodders show despite weather, competition
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer
April showers brought May drivers. Despite the 14th annual North Brunswick Police Cops & Rodders car show being postponed a week due to the weather and having to compete against two other local car shows, hundreds of vehicle owners came out to support the department's Death, Retirement, Widows & Orphans Fund on Sunday.

SCOTT FRIEDMAN Kristin Lynn, 10, of Milltown, enjoys hanging out in her dad's 1964 Caddy at the annual North Brunswick Police Cops and Rodders car show in North Brunswick on Sunday.

"It went great. I think besides the rain [this morning] and besides this being the second day [because of the rain date], people who came out last week still came out this week. It was a great turnout," said co-organizer Officer David Varga.

One of those people was Robert Cherkes, of Edison, who stood in for his brother, Edward, who is from Arizona. Although Edward owns a 1932 Ford, Robert built it and his daughter Monika, a college arts student, painted it with desert-like designs.

"He owns it, I built it, my daughter painted it, and Social Security paid for it," Robert laughed.

"We went out in September and came back in February," he said of the car's trek to New Jersey. "And I've got all the french fries under the seat to prove it."

Robert began building cars at age 16, and has built about one car a year for the past 10 years. Having completed the Ford last year, the former crane mechanic in Port Newark is already working on his next project, a 1965 Dodge Dart.

He attended the Cops & Rodders show for the first time last year, showing off a 1954 Chrysler and a 1979 El Camino. He said he enjoys showing off older vehicles whose engines are also old, because "they are unique as far as old-time nostalgia."

"This is what someone would have done back then [between the 1940s and 1950s]," he said. "The old engine with all of the modifications would have been done at the time."

He said car shows are a great forum because "you get to tell your story 100 times and you never get bored of it. Maybe the guy next to you is tired of hearing it but you never get bored."

Another story is that of Charles Lynn, of Milltown, who may have to fight off his daughter for ownership of the 1964 Cadillac he took over from his uncle 30 years ago: his daughter, Mary, 16, was expected to get her driver's permit the day after the car show.

"I've been in this car since I was little," she said.

Mary said the first place she wants to go is to the beach with her friends.

"It's kind of like tradition - you gotta play the Beach Boys 8-track," she said.

The tradition goes back a long way. Lynn said he was told as a teenager that he could get the car in one of two ways: "I could buy it or build it. I couldn't afford to buy it, so I bought my uncle's car for $10 and fixed it up."

He rebuilt the engine and made it "as close to what it looked like in the showroom," including the Classic White color that is very rare on Caddys.

Lynn said the car was his "high school car, my courting car, my wedding car and my honeymoon car." He said it has been all the way from Mexico to Canada, with 108,000 just on the rebuild alone.

He also said it is semi-famous, attracting the attention of Bruce Springsteen and several photographers over the years.

"I used to get teased by my classmates in high school when I was rebuilding it because I had some parts that didn't match," he laughed of the irony.

The future has its own course as well. Mary said she is taking the car to prom, and then her sister is next in line.

"I really enjoy these car shows because you get to see all the old [cars]. I especially like to show this one," said Kristin, 10, while twirling around in her poodle skirt, designed by Lorraine Daniels of Bound Brook. "They're so special because they're old and you can tell one from another because they're so different. There aren't too many of them."

Bob Mendelowitz, of East Windsor, took a more modern approach with the display of his 2005 Chevy SSR, one of 26,000 versions of the convertible that have been produced. Used to showing his 1984 Avanti, he decided he needed a more summer-friendly car to drive.

"I like to be with other car fanatics and get a look at a lot of different cars, some of which I've owned in the past," he said of the car show.

Accompanied by his son and grandson, Mendelowitz said that car collecting is "a very clean, fun sport. You get to meet a lot of different people from different walks of life. The assortment of cars at a car show is tremendous. There are new cars, old cars, trucks - it's unbelievable."

Overall, there were about 300 different cars, motorcycles and monster trucks that braved the unpredictable weather, as well as various emergency services vehicles.

Spectators came out in droves as well. Rutgers studentsMicheleAhmadi, ofWarren, and Kevin Heater, of Branchville, decided the return of the sun warranted a day outside.

"There are a lot more cars than I expected," Heater said.

"It really makes me want to save up or start taking care of my own before buying a nice one," Ahmadi said.

Angela Wilson, whose boyfriend's father is a North Brunswick police officer, was impressed by the selection of vehicles, including those from her native Japan.

"I like the style. The sports cars, the racing seats, they're really cool. I've never been to a car show so the engines are really cool, likeWow. There are so many different styles," she said.

That enjoyment was particularly important to Officer Joseph Grasso, who took over the show this year with the help of Varga, and his father, Senior Patrolman Michael Grasso, who originally created the show in 1995.

"It was absolutely wonderful. I'm thrilled that the idea I came up with 15 years ago has produced 14 car shows and is still going on and is growing," the senior Grasso said.

The North Brunswick-based Grasso family has always built and owned different cars, such as a 1962 Corvette, a 1981 Corvette and a 1955 Nomad. The senior Grasso appreciated that his son took over his love for vehicles, and for volunteering.

While Joseph admitted that the planning process was hard work, he said he is looking forward to next year when there will "hopefully be no rain."

Michael also said this was a great opportunity for residents to come out and meet the police in a low-stress, laid-back manner.

"It's just a more relaxed atmosphere," he said.

For more information, e-mail CopsAndRodders2004@ yahoo.com or call Joseph Grasso at (732) 247 - 0922 ext. 686.