The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-05-05, Page 30co/WE 2A—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1977
Each year at this time - you see is the top of the long
officially the twenty-eighth exhaust pipe puffing through
year - at Naples on the Gulf, the water. AND - You can't
Florida. the Swamp Buggy really call it WATER - any
I..., Races are held. It may be a potter would call it SLIP!
little difficult to describe this Many of these machines
affair which takes place in have boat shaped bodies of
what was once a sweet potato open worts steel so the water
bed, bordering the cypress runs out quickly. The driver
- .is a over the front wheels -
1 �• swamp east of Naples. l�
The swamp buggy evolved how he drives that thing is
out of a need for something another revelation - the back
to climb a mountain :in the wheels have huge skinny
mountainous terrain. , of tractor tires that are made'to
California. A young, ad• dig in. The water Is two feet.
venturous, inventive mind, or more, deep at the
"bitsand pieces with an extra shallowest parts of theroad
transmission and an in- and some of the pits must be
terlocking drive front and ten feet deep.
back" was what it took to One year that we were
invent the first vehicle, called watching, one of the buggies
a "Skeeter", the forerunner went into the deepest spot -
of today's loud powerful, fast near the start of the race
moving, water slicing, mud track - and you could see the
slinging, Swamp Buggy. This drivers: head disappear -
monstro"'ity with its skinny then the motor died and
frame, long body and huge' nothing happened. One of the
tires has changed over the sheriffs in his nice grey
years where the slow moving uniform standing , nearby,
hunting buggies of the threw off his hat and .dived
Everglades reluctantly into the muck after the
disappeared, as new designs. driver, Apparently the driver
'' born from competitive spirits had on a safety belt which
and the desire for more didn't want to release, but no
speed, gave birth to today's one was hurt. I felt sorry for
racing buggies, the sheriff, he was a mess!
I'm quoting from the story When you see two or three
of the inventor - Edward H. of those buggies roaring
Frank who at the age of 12 towards the finish line - they
was learning the mechanics have to go thru the deepest
trade arid by the age of 19 cut again to reach it - it is a
owned his own garage and real thrill. The water
machine shop. Ed's ad- spraying out- both sides must
venturous spirit led him to ' go 25 feet both ways, up and.
California where the out sideways - at times
"Skeeter Buggy" was born. everything is out of sight.
In 1919 he returned to Florida There are always big break -
where Skeeters proved useful downs, this and that breaking
on hunti'itg trips into the or something falling off. The
murky terrain or the wild last show we•saw, one of the
Everglades, Every time they bugs drove in to win the race
got stuck with the buggy, on three wheels. He, lost a
improvements Were made front wheel a quarter of a
and soon truck casing with ,mile back. They often lose.
VEE slits .to go over regular their front wheels - one of
• tires were used - this them the big winner of the
probably, later, led to the day lost the two front
design for the farm tractor's wheels. We saw the wheels go
tires. • flying up over the bank, one
By 1947, the Swamp Buggy went out of sight over the
had developed a somewhat nearby fence. That finished
different look from the agile him for the day but he had-
- little' Skeeter, It now sported -
a model T body, supported by
war surplus bomber tires,
while beneath its cum-
bersome body rested a very
special transmission - geared
to tackle the toughest bog in
the Everglades t
About this same year the
newspapers began to sit up
and take notice that history
was being made, with the
popularity of these queer
shapes.
Mr, Frank recalls he set out
to find a spot appropriately
BAD enough for showing
what these buggies could do -
and plans began for a swamp
,buggy obstacle race. His own
buggy. "Alligator" was the
first to bog down in the rnud
at the. now, world famous
Swamp Buggy Track.
The fun loving, hard
working drivers with their
"big toys for big boys" for-
med an association and as the
association grew, the buggies
became more sophisticated
and the ole sweet potato patch
gave way to a water -filled,
mile long "backward eight"
in which deep pit falls were
dug for the excitement and
thrills.
Huge wheels are necessary
to carry the hug - (no foolin'.
most of them look like queer
hugs out of some wild, weird
dream) through the depths,
some of the machines
disappearing completely - all
had a long day.
The show starts at one
o'clock and we left before the
Powder Puff race - it, was
five. -thirty, then.
Oh yes, the girls have
always had a hand in there. I
don't know how they can
control the machines.. The
girls look so tiny.
They also have jeeps
cumet n
i most of them have
P g.
the bodies raised high over
the chassis - and they need to!
They make a fast ekciting
event and the thousands
watching really give them a
hand.
The crowds have more than
tripled since the first year we
attended,. All the local clubs
give a hand, and I'm sure
they all make money. So you
can see this has become a
real crowd pleaser. They
have acres of parking space,
Too, which helps. We left
home at 8:30 and, took a
picnic lunch and just had
enough time to eat before the
• races .started at one p.m.
Highway eaffic is something
else, took
We sat in the hot sun all
afternoon. Luckily the sun
was at our backs and no one
of our six wa badly burned -
escept Walt's nose!
Naples is about 95 miles
from where we live but it -is
well worth the trip.
Soon we will be 'going to
Acadia - an inland town -
where they have' one of the
best Rodeos outside of
Calgary. There are many
Canadian cowboys from the
west with their beautiful
horses who take part in this
show.
It is hard to believe this
narrow peninsula of Florida
is one of the biggest cattle
ranching states in the U.S.A.
The tourists crowd the
Atlantic andrGulf shorelines -
but inland it is all heavy
farming and spurs and.
saddles, VERY interesting.
'fake care, glad the snow
has receded and the sun is
shining. Love., Martha,
Three Swamp Buggies lineup for a race at Naples on the
Gulf in Florida.
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Travelogues halted
due to rising costs
The Goderich Rotary Club
has announced that the
Travelogue Series just
completed will be its last.
Citing rapidly rising costs
Rotarian Mac Campbell said
that the club had decided not
to present a travelogue series
'over the winter of 1977-78.
Over the most recent
season, presentation of the
programs cost between $2,700
and $2,800 he explained.
About 300 people support the
Travelogues, but Mr.
Campbell said that. based p i a a ed on
last year's cost season tickets
would have to average $10.00
each for the club to break
even on the project.
"Since the advent of cable
television," Mr. Campbell
noted "and since television
programming has been of-
fered in color, I think people
are satisfied to stay home
rather than go out, especially
when weather is bad in the
winter."
The club point§ to rising
film costs, upward spirals in
the cost of transportation and
accommodation for the film
makers and increased
promotional costs as all
adding to their inability to
make Travelogues a success.
Cost of programs last year
totalled $1,950, auditorium
rentals $400, printing of
programs $300 and in addition '
it was necessary to subsidize
operation of the Travelogue
bus.
AREA DEALER:
-. WAYNE DAVISON ELECTRIC
GODERICH: 524-9572
KINCARDINE: 395-5725
Mr. Campbell said that
when he first suggested the
program and helped start it
rolling during the 1968-89
season it proved a great
success. It continued to be a
popular attraction until
starting to fall off in the last
two seasons.
Mr. Campbell went on to
suggest, however, that if
some other service club, or
similar group in Goderich,
had new ideas which might
make the Travelogue more.
successful the Rotarians
would be "'more than willing"
to provide advice and
assistance based on their past
experience,
"1 would also like to thapk
all those who faithfully
supported the programs over
past years," he noted.
The Rotary Club. of
Goderich also supports a
series of local concerts by the
London Symphony Orchestra.
sponsors municipal election
forums
'Meet the Candidate'
via cable television and the
annual Rotary Charity Ball.
The Club says it intends to
continuewith its in i sponsorship
i
P
of those functions as well as
other community service
"
work it undertakes.
HELP
WE NEED
BILLETS
A Targe number of people are expected to attend the
Jubilee 3 Celebrations. To handle the overflow crowd,
we are asking for citizens of Goderich to please call
524-6600 or drop in to the log cabin in Court House
Square and leave their name if they can billet visitors
during the Jubilee 3 festivities June 29 to July 1o.
Cc
162
YOUR
HEAD QUARTERS
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•ROGERS MAJESTiCT
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• ANTENNA & TOW
INSTALLATION
MARY ST. GODERICH
FOOT
PROBLEMS?'
Come in and see
Mr. William F. Parsons,
a foot specialist from London
Mr. Parsons will be at
ROSS SHOE SHOp'
on
Tuesday, May 10
1:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
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