6th Hendricken Car Show draws classic rides, supports scholarship

Pete Fontaine
Posted 5/21/15

The sixth annual Bishop Hendricken High School Car Show was more like a classic collector’s dream.

Nearly 100 vehicles – ranging from 1938 Chevrolets to 2014 Ford Mustang GTs to a Viper and …

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6th Hendricken Car Show draws classic rides, supports scholarship

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The sixth annual Bishop Hendricken High School Car Show was more like a classic collector’s dream.

Nearly 100 vehicles – ranging from 1938 Chevrolets to 2014 Ford Mustang GTs to a Viper and even Jaguars and old Porches – filled the Warwick school’s sun-covered parking lot Sunday.

“This was by far the largest show we ever had,” offered George Arakelian, who owns and operates A Custom Car Stereo in Johnston and organized the show with Hendricken computer science teacher Mike Benedetto. “People kept telling us they were really impressed with the wide variety of vehicles we had today, especially the old-time Roadster.”

And that was the pride and property of Keith Bailey, who enjoyed telling stories and showing off his spiffy 1910 Oakland Model 24 Roadster, which is only one of two such cars in the United States.

“It’s a four-cylinder, three-speed Buggy with wooden spoke tire rims,” said Bailey, to whom vehicle was handed down from his father, Ernest Bailey, who bought it in 1930.

As the colorful display sign that Bailey set up in front of his relic so well stated, the list price for the car many moons ago was $1,000.

While people marveled at each and every vehicle, the Special Hendricken Hawk Award – which was one of 20 winning entries in various categories – went to Dave Kenahan, who sat under Sunday’s sparkling sun fielding all kinds of questions about his rare beauty.

One of the more common queries was: “What color is that, sir!”

To which Kenehan so proudly noted: “It’s called Candy Apple Irish Green – and it matches my shirt.”

Sunday’s show also featured a number of new and shiny vehicles that noted Rhode Island dealers Flood Motor Group, Paul Masse and Tarbox Motors had on display especially for this year’s show.

But the real winner of the show – which included a special visit from “Hope Man” and a unique carousel-shaped Bounce House Courtesy of My Cousin Vinny’s Rentals of Johnston – was Hendricken’s newly established Ron Mosca Memorial Scholarship Fund.

“We all felt Ron’s spirit with us today,” said Gina Sabitoni-Arakelian, the current Mrs. Rhode Island Italia and Johnston native whose son George is a Hendricken senior. “Ron was always here during the entire show, assisting with whatever needed to be done. That’s why the sun is shining so bright.”

And, as Sabitoni-Arakelian added, “that’s why the people who came here have been so generous.”

Sunday’s show netted approximately $800 for the scholarship fund, which will help provide a Bishop Hendricken ninth-grader who is in need of financial assistance to obtain a high school education.

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