By Caroline O’Callaghan
It was a sunny day on May 18 for the first Flowerfield car show of the season, which shuffled in droves of visitors. The St. James fairgrounds off Route 25A ceremoniously showcased dozens of modern and vintage vehicles alongside their proud owners, vendors and musicians on its lawns. The car show and swap meet event was one of many held there every year by Long Island Cars.
Some of those in attendance were auto enthusiasts looking to downsize, like Ken Sitterley, who came there to sell his preloved 1950 Chevrolet Deluxe among other things. Sitterley, who is currently trying to purge his load of around 20 cars, reflected on his time with the Deluxe. “I drove this car for many years, went to different events with it, just as you see it — believe it or not,” said Sitterley. As he spoke, a man purchased the car, “I came out today to sell all this stuff. And I’ve sold the car to this gentleman over here,” Sitterley confirmed.
Many car owners sparked discussions with one another based on similar interests. Thomas Galicia and Don Heitner parked their muscle cars next to each other and the rest was history. Both of them expressed gratitude for the freedom their cars have brought them as they’ve gotten older. Galicia, who drives a 2017 Dodge Challenger GT, loves its convertible feature.
“It was the first way I could get back into having a muscle car because I had kids. When my last child got her license, it was time to go back to a two-door car,” said Galicia. He was elated over the unconventional terrain that the fairgrounds provides for car shows.
Galicia continued, “I love Flowerfield, it’s great. It’s nice being able to walk around a grass field as opposed to walking around an “asphalt jungle” where most of these car shows are. When you get to be my age, it’s a lot easier on your knees to walk around in the grass.”
Heitner, with his 1995 Camaro Z28 6 Speed Convertible, spoke of the beautiful weather at Flowerfield, “Today is one of the best days of the year, and there’s not that many of them that line up with the car shows, so, today’s a good day.”
Although Heitner said his Camaro is “a little low to the ground,” he doesn’t mind getting in and out of it as it “keeps him young.”
There were trucks on display as well. Helen and Robert Mayer came with their black 1949 Dodge Pickup decked out in memorabilia from its original era. As it turned out, the truck was a family heirloom for Robert.
Helen described the valiant history of the truck, “[Robert’s] father bought it new, and his father died back in ‘65. So, it’s been out of the woods for the last 30 years, at least. And we started [rebuilding the truck] at our house over several years ago.”
She then pointed to a board in the trunk which contained photos of the truck at various phases of its restoration and a description of the Mayer family’s rich history with the vehicle. For Ben Piecora, the Flowerfield car show goes back generations, as his father brought him to the show when he was growing up. “I’m always gonna vote for more car shows. I’ve been coming to Flowerfield since I was little, so I’ve been coming here for about 10 years,” said Piecora.
Piecora drove his refurbished 1989 Chevrolet Corvette — the same car that his father showed at Flowerfields when he was a child.
