Photos and text by Les Woods
Our host and hostess!
Okay, so I decided to have a little fun with the title…
If you have ever watched “Keeping Up Appearances,” you will appreciate the title as being something of which the central character, “Our Hyacinth,” would approve!
For those who do not yet know them, John and Vera Beltrante, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are seriously devoted, long term Citroënistes, and dear friends to those of us in the Citroën community. They reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and are the proud owners of a beautifully restored DS-21 Pallas.
On Sunday, 18 September, they held an event which they organize and sponsor annually, a picnic in the “Green Grove” area of Washington Crossing Park in Titusville, New Jersey.
The park is a lush setting, steeped in history, having gotten its name from having been the location from which General George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, 1776, to launch a campaign that would ultimately become known as “Ten Crucial Days.” And, yes folks, please don’t hang up yet, as that’s the end of today’s history lesson! Now we will move on to the Citroën meet that was supposed to be the subject of this story!
For those of us on the east coast, John and Vera’s picnic marks a wonderful way to close the Citroën event season. This year we had flawless weather, with beautiful, clear skies and warm temperatures. This was the first year the picnic has been held in September. The next time you see Vera, ask her why the date was changed! She can tell you a very funny story about a park service employee and his assurances day after day that the weather would be perfect for the event last October, despite a gloomy forecast. As it turned out, temperatures hovered in the low forties and a cold rain threatened most of the day. That said, I remember that we had a great time, anyway.
Carmo Pereira and Jorge Tavares with their famously perfect Dolly
A little visit to the world 2CV meet via the laptop
For my DS-21 and me the day began early for this year’s picnic. I picked up Judy Reiter at her home in Silver Spring, Maryland, and at 7am, we departed for Wilmington, Delaware, where we stopped to get Jack Hollingsworth. Jack, our youngest affirmed Citroëniste, is recently back from a trip to France, and Judy once lived there, so while they traded stories about France, I concentrated on the traffic on I-95 North, which had slowed to a crawl near Philadelphia. In Jack’s words: “I have never seen it this bad before!”
It made for great fun, of course. For the better part of an hour, we barely moved. Once we did start moving, all we saw were traffic control cones being collected by state highway employees, restoring both lanes of a very narrow bridge over the city of Philadelphia. I suggested that it must have come to their attention that they lacked some tool critical to what they were supposed to do, and that once they got the word that traffic was backed up for 5 miles, they decided that they’d had their fun and decided to call off the whole operation.
If you own or have experienced a DS at some point, you might recall that, when stuck in traffic, as the driver, your attention is roughly equally divided between the brake lights on car just ahead, and the temperature gauge directly in front of you. I am happy to report that in the case of this particular DS on this particular Sunday morning, cooler heads and temperatures prevailed.
We found the “Green Grove” area of the park easily, thanks to John and Vera’s double chevron signs placed at intersections, guiding us to our destination. We were greeted warmly by friends Dale Martin, who had come all the way from Midland, Michigan, and fellow Marylanders, Erik and Evelyn DeWidt, who for some reason, decided not to come in a 2CV, but chose instead the somewhat more rapid transport of their SM.
Erik and Evelyn DeWidt from Maryland
Now then, talk about determination… Dale left Midland late day Friday to begin his trip south and east. He came in the only Peugeot 406 Coupe known to exist on this continent. If you have not seen it, it is as good as “showroom fresh,” finished in a beautiful red and equipped with all the niceties that you might expect in a modern sports coupe. I don’t recall the mileage, but it’s in the single digit thousands range. My reaction to it every time I see it is that it would look really good parked in front of my house!
Dale Martin with his 406 Coupe
There were lots of 2CVs and D series cars present, of course, and Robert Monteleone came in the only “Smart” present for the day. Reactions to cars at events are interesting to observe. It’s the “what’s different” that invariably gets attention. People will walk right past a 2CV or DS at a Citroën meet to look at something present in a quantity of one, i.e., the 406 Coupe, the Smart… I suppose it’s just human nature to seek out the unique in any given setting. Yet drive a 2CV or DS to a local, garden-variety car show, and a small crowd will gather immediately!
Ken and Polly's famous D Break
Robert Monteleone checking the main accumulator condition!
Manny and Marie Barreiros
John and Vera provided everything to make the picnic complete, right down to beef burgers for the carnivores and veggie burgers for those avoiding meat. When I discovered the luxurious hand soap and towels in the rest rooms, I knew I was seeing the attention to detail that only Vera would provide!
Attendees were asked to bring a covered dish or dessert, and wow, did they ever come through! Cakes, cookies and other sweets accompanied dozens of bowls containing delicious salads and casseroles. I tried to sample everything once, but even that was too much food for me.
In all, roughly 45 people attended. John and Vera extend the invitation to friends and family of Citroën folks, so lots of faces in the group were new or not owners of Citroën cars. Obtaining an exact count was difficult due to late arrivals and early departures. It was a delightful afternoon to spend time with friends just talking, with no schedule and no short-term goals.
Jack Hollingsworth says yes 2CV!
I was asked by Erik DeWidt to speak briefly late in the day about the demise of CCNA, to lead into his discussion of the plans for CAC and Citroënvie. Erik is working with George Dyke and John McCulloch of CAC to bring former members of the Citroën Club of North America into Citroën Autoclub Canada. I do not know the precise details, but as I understand it, they would like to organize small, regional groups within the USA who would be “under the umbrella of Citroënvie.”
Ken Betsh and Judy Reiter
Dale Martin received a gift award for having traveled the greatest distance to attend the event, and while I don’t know exactly what was in the box, I can say that it was a beautifully wrapped package done in a custom classic car paper by John and Vera. Had I received the box, I might never have been able to bring myself to unwrap it!
Ed Merryman and Betsey Jordan provided a virtual tour of this summer’s “19th World Meeting of 2CV Friends” on their laptop.
Ed Merryman and Betsey Jordan with their Charleston
With darkness approaching, for those who did not want the day’s events to end, the picnic/party moved to the home of Dan Burke in nearby Trenton, N.J. Dan and his partner John opened their home to us and gave guided tours to those who were interested in some of the remodeling projects underway. With lots of food from the picnic in the park, and still more from Dan and John’s kitchen, no one left hungry!
Danny Burke adores his 2CV...
On our way home, we stopped for fuel at a station not far from Dan and John’s. For those of us not often in New Jersey, the fact that there is no “self service” at gas stations can come as a bit of a surprise. With the DS, I’m always uneasy about letting the average gas station jockey deal with the flap and the cap, worrying that we’ll suffer some injury, at minimum an overflow (easily done with a DS) or worse, a scratch. In this case, I couldn’t help but notice what seemed an unusually reverent approach to the refueling operation. Then the attendant asked what year the car was. I detected an accent, but couldn’t identify it. As conversation continued, he told me “at home, back in the seventies, this was quite the car, the ultimate, the best.” He continued with compliments about the car, and smiled as he put back the cap, and gently closed the flap. As it turned out, he had emigrated from Ghana many years ago. Back on the highway a few minutes later, I contemplated what an interesting touch the exchange had been at the end of the day, and how it had served to remind once again how broad and all encompassing the world of Citroën is.
Dale Martin performs exorcism on a DS he once owned!
It was a lovely day, with lots of catching up, car rides, delicious food, and perfect weather. I would like to take a moment to say “thank you” to John and Vera, who continue to give so generously of their time, energy, and personal funds for the cause of Citroën. They provided us with a wonderful opportunity to come together once again at the close of the car meet season. Thanks again, John and Vera, for a wonderful day!
For more pictures and larger versions, go here: http://photobucket.com/beltrantepicnic
Dale, Judy, Vera, John, and Jack
