The 2017 Northeast Regional was held September 29 – October 1. Hosted by the Upstate New York chapter and sponsored by Goldstein Buick/GMC, it was held at the Homewood Suites in Clifton Park, NY, about 40 miles north of Albany. Participants enjoyed barbecue, great cars and a scenic drive through historic upstate New York.

Friday’s arrivals had the opportunity to tour the Saratoga Auto Museum at a discount rate. Opened in 2002, the museum features two floors of displays, the upper one being dedicated to cars manufactured in New York State and racing history in the Northeast. The lower floor is a changing collection of cars sharing a common theme. A few years back the Buick concept cars were featured. Friday evening saw many folks tour the local back roads to one of the local barbecue drive-ins to enjoy great barbecue chicken and ribs.

Saturday was cool and rainy, not ideal weather for a car show. This did not deter many people and 75 cars were on display on the show field. Ages ranged from 1925 to present. There were cars from as far away as Canada, Ohio, and even Illinois! Peer judging was used, with three Outstanding in Class awards given in nine different classes. There was also a town Supervisor’s Pick, which went to Simone Zalewski and her 1972 GS455 HT. A Longest Distance Driven award was also handed out, and this went to Ray and Kathy Vrablic from Mokena, Illinois who drove 814 miles to join us. The day also featured a DJ, food vendors, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Inside by the hospitality room was a display of Buick related collectibles and a special raffle to win a $150 gift certificate provided by Coker Tire. Proceeds of the raffle were for the benefit of the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.

The Saturday evening banquet was held at the Hilton Garden Inn, a sister hotel to the Homewood Suites situated just across the parking lot. Attendees enjoyed a choice of chicken, salmon or beef. The food was excellent. About 75 people gathered for the banquet.

Sunday was get away day for some, but for others a driving tour of Southern Saratoga County and Northern Rensselaer County was in order. It was a beautiful fall day, with temperatures climbing enough to encourage the tops to be dropped on convertibles. This approximately 90 mile round trip included stops at some historic sites, such as the Canfield Casino in the city of Saratoga Springs. The city is famous for its thoroughbred horse racing but at one time was a big gambling mecca, drawing some infamous names to its borders. Another stop was the Saratoga National Park, site of the Battle of Saratoga during the Revolutionary War. The nearby Saratoga Monument was constructed to commemorate the battle. The monument has 188 stairs, which some were brave enough to climb.

After a quick lunch stop, it was off to the Tomhannock Reservoir for some scenic backdrops for photos. Photo opportunities were everywhere and we tried just about all of them. We finished the tour with a quick stop at the Cohoes Falls, then it was back to the hotel to say our final goodbyes.

Many thanks go out to Greg Goldstein of Goldstein Buick/GMC for his generous support of our show, the staff at the Homewood Suites who couldn’t do enough for us, and to all our goody bag donors, advertisers and volunteers who helped make our show a success.

The 2018 Northeast Regional is scheduled for September 20-22 in Leighton, PA and is hosted by the  "Free Spirit" Chapter.
Go to Upcoming Events for links to show flyer and registration form.