About Us

The Finger Lakes Chapter of the BCA was developed to make it easier for people in the Western NY area to get together for cruises and shows. We became chartered on April 6th, 1982 and just celebrated our 40th anniversary!


We are one of over 60 chapters nationwide of the BCA, a not for profit organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration and enjoyment of all things Buick.


There are special events planned for almost every month during warm weather with weekly cruise-ins available every day of the week. We have monthly meetings via Zoom and we would love you to join us!


You don't need to own a vintage Buick to join us ..... just have an interest in and enjoyment for cars and having fun but membership in the National BCA is a must.

Justin DeFiore

Chapter Director

Cindy Whited

Chapter Assistant

John Ross

Chapter Treasurer

Anne Leckenby

Chapter Secretary

Events

If anyone has any fun ideas for events or outings we can do as a chapter or any car shows or cruises you would love for us to be a part .... WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!! We had some great ideas floated in our last Zoom meeting and we will be sending those out to see what we want to do this coming year.

Upcoming Car Events in 2024

Lilac Festival Parade - Rochester

Saturday, May 11

25th Wheels on Main - Waterloo

Sunday, May 26

Windmill Fall Car Show - Penn Yan, NY

Saturday, Sept 21

** Some of these are free shows and

some will have registration or entry fees. Check out the links attached and they should tell you!

Events

Weekly Shows & Cruise-Ins

Mondays:

Schaller’s Drive-In - Greece

Charlie Reidel’s - Webster

Tuesdays:

Tom Wahl’s - Newark

Rev On Events - Fairport

Wednesdays:

Mac’s Drive-In - Waterloo

Log Cabin Restaurant - Macedon

Hamlin Cruise-In

No BS Brew Company - Livonia

Thursdays:

Canandaigua Wegmans

B’ville Diner - Baldwinsville

Ferrari Pizza Bar - East Rochester

Fridays:

Lonergan Park Cruise Night - N. Syracuse

Harv’s Harley Davidson - Macedon

Saturdays:

Hilton Cruise Night

Blast to the Past - Fairmont

A lot of these events are unconfirmed as of March 2024 so check back or check social media before heading out!

Sundays:

Twin Elder Brewery - Victor

Dairy Queen- Greece

Heidi’s Sweets & Treats - Liverpool

Last Sun May - Sept

Chapter Events

Lilac Parade 2024 - Saturday, May 11

. Meet at Science Parkway, Division C at 8:30 am

. Parade starts at 10:30 am


Tom Wahl’s Ice Cream Social - Thursday, June 20 @ 6 pm

. Show off your car and have dinner with friends!

Annual Chapter Picnic - Sunday, June 23 @ noon

.Justin and Stephanie’s House - 20 Butternut Dr Pittsford

. Bring a dish to pass and eat while we vote on chapter

happenings for the next year

Penfield 4th of July Parade - Saturday, June 29 @ 10am

.Meet at Penfield High School - details to follow


Trip to view Guy Bennett’s collection - Sunday, July 21

.a birthday celebration and viewing of Guy’s extensive collection

of cars and memorabilia - details to follow

Joint cruise and visit to Glenn Curtiss Museum - Sunday, August 18

. This is a joint meet with our Albany chapter - details to follow

The Portholes and The Bugle

The Portholes is the Finger Lakes BCA's bi-monthly newsletter. Full of local happenings, events schedules, member birthdays and informative articles, The Portholes newsletter is a great way to stay connected to the chapter and its members.


Email Cindy Whited to sign up at no charge today!


Send your name and email address to ccwhitde@gmail.com

The Bugle is the National Club's monthly publication. You must go to the BCA's website to sign up to receive it. A national listing of events, articles and pictures, classified ads and a national roster of chapters, The Bugle is either a print magazine or an e-version. Choose the one that fits you best!

Membership

The Finger Lakes Chapter has been a local club for over 40 years. We still have some of our original members! Dues are $25 a year and it helps us cover things like our anniversary picnic, Christmas party and participation in all chapter events.

Meet our Members Profile - John Ross

In High School the friends I ran around with were interested in telephones and radios, not cars. During the mid 50’s cars were switching from 6 volt to 12 volt electrical systems, and police and County highway departments had to upgrade their mobile radio communications equipment. The old 6 volt stuff could be purchased cheaply so we bought some and used them on the 6 meter amateur radio (HAM) band. We got HAM licenses and put 2-way radio equipment in our parent’s cars.

One of the guys got a 6 volt 100 amp Leece Nevell alternator from a scrap yard police car and we put it in his dad’s 1954 Ford so the radio equipment would not run down the battery. I started to get under hood car experience.

While in college my dad gave me his 6 year old 1955 Buick Special. I had to maintain it, grease/oil/Plugs/ points etc. (more under hood experience.) The car was very reliable, it had over 110 thousand miles on it when I sold it. I bought used Buicks after that (62, 66, and 70).

I was married and had kids when I bought a 1952 MGTD in parts. A rolling chassis with engine plus “ all the parts and pieces needed to finish it”. At that time there were a couple of vendors that sold enough MG parts to almost build an MGTD from scratch. It took several years but I finally got the car completed. It ran well with a top speed of 45 to 50 MPH (It had 5.12 rear end ratio.) I sold that car several years later.

After the kids had grown up and were out of the house, I looked for another car project. I wanted a convertible and remembering the good luck I had with my 55 Buick, I looked for a 55 Buick convertible.

I found a 1955 Roadmaster convertible in Hemmings that was for sale in north central Pa. It was being sold by the original owner who had driven it until 1966 and then put it in storage. About 1989 she decided to put it back on the road. The person she had working on the car to get it running again replaced all the brake lines and wheel cylinders and sent the engine to a machine shop to be cleaned and checked. All this took so long that the owner decided to just sell the car. Having seen the Hemmings ad, my wife and I drove down to check it out. It was relatively rust free - no salt in north central Pa, they used cinders and sand on the roads. All the floors were solid. The only rust I found was in the dog legs in front of the real wheels. Rain water got in there from the convertible top seal behind the rear side windows. I bought the car, it was put back together and trailered to Rochester. The engine ran OK but I had to rebuild the power brake unit before it could be driven. It took years to get the restoration “finished”, I got it on the road about 2002. I still have it. That is my Buick car story.


Buick Club of America

FINGER LAKES NY CHAPTER

2024 MEMBERSHIP / RENEWAL APPLICATION

(PLEASE PRINT NEATLY)

BCA # ________________ dues $25.00 (Must be a BCA member. If not, go to www.buickclub.org to

join)



Applicant’s Name

: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

(Last name, First, Nickname)

Spouse/Companion:

Mailing Address:

______________________________________________________________________________________________

(Last name, First, Nickname,)

______________________________________________________/_________________________/_______/_________

(Street Address) (City) (State) (Zip Code)

Phone #: (_________)_____________________________

E-Mail address:


Buicks owned: (Model/Year/Body Style/Roadworthy (RW) or Restoration in Progress (RP))

(________)______________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

(Please print clearly)

Call or email Justin DeFiore with any questions at 585-953-3336 or justindefiore@gmail.com.

Renewals are due by December 31st. Mail this form with payment. Please make checks payable to Finger Lakes Chapter of BCA.



Mail to:

Anne Leckenby

50 Stothard Drive

Hilton, NY 14468

Contact Us

If you are interested in joining our monthly Zoom meetings, contact Anne and she will add you to the email list!