By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer 

Most of the people who have been involved the longest in the car club are too modest to talk about themselves. 

After all, the vintage vehicles are the real stars of the show.

“It started back in the late 50s as the Pleasant Mountain Chapter of the MOALs, the Maine Obsolete Automobile League,” according to Cindy Gorman. “We start these Cruise Nights at the end of May, and they’ll end in October, or in September.”

The cruise night happens Wednesdays, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The Cruise Night location is the parking lot at the corner of Depot Street and Main Street. 

“We have some good turnouts. We had the Mainely Cheese Food Truck came a few times or they go over to the Bridgton House of Pizza,” Gorman said.  

“Anyway, it is fun. These people have taken really good care of the cars and put lots of money into the cars to preserve them,” she said. 

“Wess [her husband] has a car he has had since he was 16. It’s a 1923 Model T,” she said, adding the vehicle wasn’t at the cruise last Wednesday.

The difference between a show and a cruise night is — a show is judged. During a cruise night, owners drive their vintage vehiclesto a designated spot for the public to view. 

League members hope that a few more car enthusiasts will join the MOALs. People with an antique “set of wheels” can start by being part of the cruise night. 

Among the activities that the club does is another type of cruise, which involves a road trip. 

“We will do a few cruises during the summer. We’d love to have people join,” Cindy Gorman said. “Usually [someone in the group] has taken us on cruises, beautiful views on side roads and none of us knows where we’re at. We either go on picnics or stop at ice cream stands.”

“It’s a nice group. A lot of people have been here for a long time. We are tryingto build up membership. So that some of the younger guys can take over. These three guys are in their 70’s,” she said. 

She was referring to the president, the vice president and another club member, all of whom did not want to be in the limelight. 

MOALs is a community-minded group that raises money for a local scholarship as well as social activities, she said. 

“We have a scholarship this year. It goes to a vocational student at Lake Region High School. He will go for freshman year of college at Southern Maine Technical for mechanics,” she said, explaining  

Ways that the MOALs fundraise include paying dues and holding a 50-50 raffle at every get-together, Gorman said. 

Barry Gilman, who referred to himself as just a helper, talked about the local chapter of MOALs and how it tried to assist people in the town when assistance was needed.  

“The club is very supportive of the community, donating money to the community. We’ve given money to help out with heating oil and scholarships for kids in high school over the years. I’ve got a list going back to the probably six, seven, maybe10 years of the charities we have contribute to,” he said.

“We get together a couple times a year and go for a ride somewhere. We are doing that sometime in August, going for an ice cream tour,” Gilman said.  

Club member Joanne Brill, club member brought a’46 Ford Coupe to Cruise night. 

“My husband mostly has the interest in classic cars. He has had one since he was a teenager. He loves old cars,” she said. 

“I have a Mustang I drive sometimes. It is an ’08 not really a classic, but a lot of people bring their Mustangs,” she said. 

The downtown location of the Cruise Night seems to promote a good turnout because people who are out walking or who are driving by see it.

“A lot of people see us and stop and they enjoy it,” Brill said.