Beacon N.Y. from ‘Mikey"

[dinoKeymaster]

by mikey on Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:32 pm

Where I grew up, in Beacon,N.Y. there were two hangouts. The first was the parking lot of the old Empire Food super market on Main Street, the second was the parking lot between the old Western Auto store, and the Dry Cleaning place, also on Main Street, but closer to the other end. Even before I had a license, I’d go hang out, listen to the stories, sometimes take a “cruise”up and down the strip(Main Street)with one of the “guys”, then later, I was one of the “guys”.Great Times Great Memories ……………………Mikey

[timh]

MIKEY, i do not know if you know me I grew up in beacon, i was a member of the ROAD KINGS CAR CLUB. we put on a car show in the grand union store the same lot you mentioned. I had a 1938 ford cpe with duel carbs & offenhauser heads in 1951 i bought it from TOM DIPERNO he owned the CLAYS GAS station on bank square,new city hall there now. i drove a stock car for NICK TABONE he had a garage behind the old 4 corners diner.I bought a 49 olds. 88 fastback nosed & decked it,and built a stock car out of my 38 cpe. I ran it at arlington speedway.PEEKSKILL,and a couple tracks in ALBANY area .I built and worked on all of WALT SHUBERTS cars rte. 9 COLD SPRING NY untill 1959 when i moved to DANBURY to build a black top plant for CONN> COLPROVIA I joined the DANBURY MODIFERS the rest of my RACE HISTORY WILL COME AS I LERN TO TYPE EARLE {TIM} HALLOCK

[mikey]

Tim, I think you may be a little older than me, but we do know some of the same people. I just turned 59. I do remember Tom Diperno’s gas station, and I new both his sons. I also new Nick Tabone, and I think he had a gas station in Fishkill, right about where the 84 Diner and that little Ice Cream place is. If I remember correctly the car was a coupe, and the number was 11 7B. That was the number I remember on one of the cars. At Arlington, the announcer used to call it the one seventeen b, and I used to go up to his booth and tell him it was eleven, seven b.
Nick wound up with a junkyard on Rte.9 on the way to Cold Spring. I also new his son Wayne, who I didn’t get along with at all. Do you have a brother, or cousin that worked for Walt, because there was a Hallok that drove an A4, and sometimes a sportsman car for him. Pete maybe?? Funny, that Grand Union is still there, just has a different name. I lived just up the street on North Walnut, across from the old cemetery next to the VanTassle’s and Sorci’s. Small word isn’t it??……………………………….Mikey 😆

[timh]

mikey, i built most of shuberts cars and ran 3 cars out of his garage, a slant 6 in the mid 60,s a sportsmen # 49 in 68, and the A4 modified in 69 & 70. I drove NICKS 117B in 1952 at RHINEBECK and MIDLETOWN, i was 16 yrs. old I am 73 now !!!!. I won my last race in middletown at 65 yrs. old. they called it the oldtimers race the other guys were all under 50 yrs. old tim hallock

[mikey]

Well, you are the Tim that I remember. Your age and the cars are pretty much what I remember. Glad to know you are still around, and it sounds like you’re doing OK. Man, how things have changed. When I quit drag racing, I got involved in circle track racing by accident. In 77, I was working at Bard Chev. in Newburgh, and one of the parts guys introduced me to Bobby Green. Bob wanted to go to Syracuse for the big end of year race and had puked his motor, and was out of funds. I had a hundred over 427 all apart, so I assembled it and we went racing. I did the circle track stuff until 2yrs ago and finally decided I better get out of the car before I hurt myself. Now I’m looking to get back into drag racing again. We’ll see!! …………………………Mikey 😎 😆

[sk1ski]

I used to be in the Empire or Grand Union Parking lot just about every night in the summer during the 1970’s. I had a 70 chevelle, I still have the motor and it is in my 67 Camaro now. The lot between Western Auto and the Dry cleaner(now an Islamic tempel!) we knew it as “Peoples” as in Peoples Dry cleaners. We would crusie main st and hang out in the lots until about midnight or 1 and then do some 1/4 miles between the two 55 mph signs on I84 at exit 11. I’m sure I know you as I know the other folks in your posts. I lived on Ralph st. then Liberty and now in Fishkill. Also spent time in Thunder Speed, the former Grand Union Building acroos from Vogels Drug.

[mikey]

I lived on North Walnut Street, next door to Wes and Rich Sorci across from the old cemetery. I had a 66 Chevelle SS396, also a 67 Camaro with a .090 over 427(no substitute for cubic inches)First wife Wendy, owned Batt Florist on Main Street. I also new Harry Harrison who owned Thunder Speed, he was my first “sponsor”. I raced a 72 Datsun p/u in P/S, 19 finals,18 Trophies. I also worked with Harry at Dover Drag Strip. Small world, we probably know each other.
Full name: Mike(Mikey)McDermott. ………………….Mikey 😆

P.S. Come visit our sister site, http://mandmspeed.com/ I’m an administrator on the site, and if you register, you get Discounts on all your purchases, even Speed Equipment, and Rich ships all over, even Canada. 😮 😯 😆 😆 😆

[Author]

Posts