The British Motorcars of New England (BMCNE) made its annual appearance in Bristol this weekend, June 6-7.

Ms. Alison DeKleine, a Morgan owner and restorer, talked with WUN about the event. She stated, “the BCMNE first hosted the British Motorcars in Bristol in 2021, thanks to early collaboration with Mike Byrnes and Explore Bristol. As a non-profit organization, the BMCNE uses the event to support local charities and veteran causes, as well as provide positive community engagement. This year marks our 5th year of successful shows in Bristol.”

Ms. Alison DeKleine added, “Many club volunteers organize the event, but this year’s team leaders include Tom Bernier, Ernie Connor, and club president Al North.  This year we expect about 250 cars to attend, of which about half are local New Englanders. The biggest advantage to participants of this event is engaging with other like-minded car enthusiasts. Like any other subculture, car people love to engage with other car people. We discuss and debate ongoing projects, dream up new adventures, and share advice and stories from a treasure trove of experiences. Bristol, as a location, is also a great advantage thanks to its inherent beauty and historic charm. I also like to believe that the charitable aspect of this event also draws people to attend. We are all truly happy to help our community remain vibrant and strong.

We are a group of folks that get our knuckles greasy and are an everyman event with an “everyman award,” where one can display the story of the work that has gone into the restoration of the vehicle on a storyboard. Bringing younger folks into the sport of collecting and restoration is an added goal as it’s an aging demographic.” As we talked a child walked by with his mouth agape and Ms. DeKleine took great delight in seeing him “gobsmacked” by the whole affair.

Ms. DeKleine’s Morgan can be seen in this collection as well as Barry Breen of NH with his beautiful 2018 Aston Martin sporting the tag: “BLIMEY”. He indicated that he did not create the vehicle and did his best to keep it close to the speed limit.

The event concluded on Saturday at 5 PM with a Special Awards Presentation at 1:30 PM and Motorcar Awards at 2:00 PM.

 A Father’s Day Car Show will occur at the Abbey in Portsmouth on Sunday, June 15, 9 AM – 3 PM.

All photos by Jack Casey for What’sUpNewp

Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM
Credit: JACKCASEYPHOTO_COM

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Jack Casey has always loved music. Whether listening, playing solo or with friends these experiences over the decades have informed his photography. The passion to photographically preserve the pinnacle moment of a musicians’ performance is what fuels him. He has shot a diverse range of thousands of world class artists, dating back to the early 70s. Casey has photographed the Newport Festivals, the Philadelphia Folk Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals. It’s not uncommon to see him shooting at many local theaters, clubs and performance venues.

Casey’s work has appeared on CD covers and in publications, physical and online media as well as being included by Joan Baez in the book, Musicians As Artists. After being retired for a decade from a career in social work, Casey is working on a photo-story book reflecting upon his life on the stage, backstage and in the photo pit.