It’s Tricky: NASCAR at Pocono Raceway

I know a lot of people think Pocono Raceway is a has-been, needs fewer races, needs to be gone – I’m not one of those people.

Kasey Kahne on pit road

I love this place! I’m not sure if it’s because of all the racing – of course, the Truck Series race at Pocono is pretty awesome! – but it’s definitely because of the pit/paddock pass.

Jennifer Jo Cobb in "The Zoo"

Head over to the garage area – which I refer to as “The Zoo” – and watch the teams prep the cars; sometimes you get lucky and find a driver or two.

Dave Blaney

Head out to pit road and watch your favorite drivers wheel around the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle.”

Tony Stewart

Head back to the garage area and see the cars going through tech.

The tech area

What’s really cool about the pass is the price - $50 for the weekend (plus your grandstand tickets). 

That’s right – three days of getting that close to the action. There are other tracks that offer pit/paddock passes, but not for that price.

How close to the action can you get? Here are some more photos from this August:

Tire test - Darrell Wallace Jr.

Ron Hornaday Jr.

Marcos Ambrose

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Industry to Entertainment: A Tour of Buffalo’s Grain Elevators

Canalside on a bright summer day

When I started writing again nearly six years ago, I wrote about my hometown of Buffalo a lot. The more I wrote about Buffalo, the more I wanted to explore it. My explorations have made me appreciate the Queen City even more.

Yes, my city DOES smell like Cheerios! :)

our tour boat

Know How Tours offered a very cool Buffalo-based bus tour in late July that included stops at the Fontana Boathouse, City Hall and Pearl Street Brewery for lunch. After lunch we boarded a tour boat for a Buffalo River History Tour that took us on an adventure to part of Buffalo’s industrial history, the grain elevators.

Silo City

Silo City

“Inside Silo City” is a two-hour tour by water and by foot to the former Perot Malting Plant, built in 1907 (additions made in 1933). This complex was later used by the Genesee Brewing Company. Today, the elevators are used for art shows and installations, concerts, pond hockey tournaments, even weddings.

Perot Malting Plant

Walking into these early-20^th century silos is a bit intimidating – looking up to the top of the silos from inside and experiencing the echoes in them was impressive. It was also interesting to see how the two “eras” of silos (1907 and 1933) compared.

looking up to the top of the silo

inside the silos

inside the silos

Tours are offered daily at 2:30 p.m. leaving Canalside. Tickets are $27 for adults and $17 for children. Find out more at buffaloriverhistorytours.com. 

August 2014 in review

August got its start in July, as we headed to Pocono, PA for NASCAR – cars played a big part in August’s activities, including three races and three car shows Labor Day weekend (OK, part of that is in September, but for the sake of saying that was “4-wheel weekend” it’s included!).

• July 31^st through August 2^nd – Pocono Raceway for Cup Series practice and qualifying and Truck Series practice, qualifying and race – had the chance to meet a couple of my online co-workers from Skirts & Scuffs, Beth and Rebecca!

Hijacked from Rebecca!

• August 8^th – drag racing at Elegant Builders Raceway Park (or whatever it goes by now!)
• August 10^th – Watkins Glen International with D&F Travel

first-time winner's celebration!
credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

• August 29^th – Oswego Speedway for the RoC Modifieds
• August 30^th – Olcott Beach for a HUGE car show!

Olcott Beach - hundreds of cars!

• August 31^st – West Seneca PBA car show (formerly at Southgate Plaza)
• September 1^st – St. Gregory the Great car show with the Ponies!

the kids
credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

the ultimate Bumblebee!
credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

One race – the Tommy/Tony Memorial Modified race – got postponed until September, making for a long gap in activities – but it allowed me to get back to the gym on a regular basis!

Bowling Balls, Wrought Iron and Tree Houses: Buffalo-Style Garden Art

One of the coolest things about attending garden walks and tours during the National Garden Festival in the Buffalo-Niagara area is checking out the garden art: sculptures, metal art, pottery pieces, paintings, even things you wouldn’t expect in a garden. We even have a Buffalo-Style Garden Art Sale in the opening weeks of the Festival.

Here are a few of my favorite art pieces from this year’s National Garden Festival (I visited gardens involved in five garden walks this year):

Metal hummingbird – I loooooooved this piece when I saw it – so much so that I looked for it at the Glen Park Art Festival a few days later…now it’s mine!

Bowling ball totem pole – yep, a bunch of bowling balls topped with a bunch of pins…our gardeners are creative!

Colorful homes – even the homes are pieces of art! Vibrant colors like these can be seem throughout the area of Garden Walk Buffalo.

Fun signs – this one was at the home of Art of Gardening blogger Jim Charlier.

Tree houses – this tree house was awesome! The homeowners also had a number of cool garden art pieces, like ants made from golf balls and a peacock of colorful bottles.

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Thousands of Fans, Six Inductees and the Tomahawk Chop: The National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

One hot Sunday in July, thousands of baseball fans converged on someplace akin to Paradise for lovers of America’s National Pastime. That place goes by one name: Cooperstown.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Induction Ceremony morning

The village of Cooperstown, New York is home to more than the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, but for the last weekend of July, there is nothing else. That weekend is Hall of Fame Weekend, and this year, six new members were inducted into the Hall.

Inside the Hall of Fame

D&F Travel offered a day trip to the hallowed grounds of baseball on Sunday, July 27^th for the Induction Ceremony, with six inductees who were a who’s who of my era of baseball fandom: Tony LaRussa, Frank Thomas, Bobby Cox, Greg Maddox, Tom Glavine and Joe Torre. To say that Atlanta as a baseball city (LaRussa, Cox, Maddox, Glavine and Torre) and Georgia as a state (Thomas, who was born in Georgia and went to Auburn) were well represented is an understatement.

Atlanta fans doing the Chop

Tomahawk chops began well before the ceremony started, and continued through the first three inductees presented: Maddox, Cox and Glavine. Glavine, who was also drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, made reference to his two-sport past with tongue-in-cheek humor: having been drafted ahead of Hockey Hall of Famers Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull, he imagined that he would’ve been inducted into that Hall of Fame if he hadn’t chosen the baseball path.

Tom Glavine

LaRussa and an emotional Thomas came next, followed by the man I, as a Yankees fan, went there to see: Torre, the Yankees skipper for six AL pennants and four World Series titles; Torre was also a nine-time All-Star as a player for the Braves. Torre was cheered loudest when he told us we’d be back in a few years to see a couple more Yankees inductions, referring to future Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter.

Joe Torre's plaque presentation

I also spent some time in the Hall of Fame Museum, but in all honesty, it’s not the place to visit on Induction Ceremony morning – it’s a huge monument to the game, but seemed sooooo small with thousands of people trying to make their way through it in a short time. I definitely need to go back!

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

July 2014 in review

July is typically a busy month in Buffalo, mostly because we’re all trying to squeeze as much out of summer as possible! My busy July extended beyond Buffalo a few times – here’s what my crazy schedule looked like:

• July 1^st – Blue Rodeo and 54-40 at Artpark

  

  Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo

• July 4^th – Fireworks at Transit Valley Country Club
• July 5^th – Race of Champions Modified Tour at Holland Speedway

  

  RoC Mods at Holland Speedway

• July 10^th – Cleveland’s Progressive Field for Indians v. Yankees with D&F Travel
• July 12^th – Amherst and Capen Garden Walks
• July 18^th – Firematic Tournament at Main-Transit Fire Department
• July 19^th – Man Up Car and Bike Show at East Amherst Fire Department and Village of Williamsville Garden Walk
• July 22^nd – Know How Tours Buffalo bus tour to Fontana Boathouse, City Hall and Silo City

  

  Buffalo's grain silos

• July 24^th – Horizon Club Tours bus tour to selected gardens from Garden Walk Buffalo
• July 25^th – Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
• July 26^th – Glen Park Art Festival
• July 27^th – Cooperstown, NY for the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony with D&F Travel

  

  National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on
  Induction Sunday

And on July 31^st I took off on my first bit of August fun – but more on that later…

130+ rides “Man Up” for a great cause

Q: What would make 130+ owners of classic cars, muscle cars, bikes and trucks sit at a car and bike show for over six hours in less-than-beautiful weather on a Saturday afternoon?

A: A worthy cause, a great family and special young lady that many of us never knew in person, but lives on in her spirit.

On Saturday, July 19^th, the fourth annual “Man Up” Car and Bike Show at East Amherst Fire Dept. on Transit Rd. in Amherst drew more than 130 rides and their owners, as well as numerous car show fans on a rainy but never dreary afternoon – the fact that we were helping honor the memory of Meghan Redenbach brightened the day.

Young Meghan lost her battle with cancer on Christmas Eve in 2010, after battling the disease for two years. During her battle, the phrase “Man Up” became linked to this Royalton-Heartland student, and continues to be her catch phrase even after her passing. The car and bike show, along with concessions, basket raffles and 50/50 drawings, raises money for the Meghan Redenbach Memorial Fund – which awards a scholarship each year to a graduating senior – as well as Make-A-Wish and Carly’s Club. The show is put together by Meghan’s parents, Mike and Nancy, her brother Nick and numerous family members and friends.

I might be partial, but this was one of the best cars shows I’ve been to – in addition to the worthwhile cause, there was a wide variety of vehicles represented and an amazing selection of baskets and gift certificates in the raffle tent. Dad and I also had the Mustangs entered, and Dad took home a plaque for “Richie.”

"Sally" (left) and "Richie" (right)

Stay tuned for the date of next year’s show – it’s definitely worth the visit.

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com