Hi Friends....................My name is Joseph Coccimiglio and I am running a Space called Cruizin Queen - a virtual Space to socialize in about locally owned classic cars, high performance late model cars, EVs, trucks, motorcycles, circle track racing, drag racing and even daily rides. My interest in Classic Cars goes back to the 1950s in Aiello, Calabria, Italy. Those days in the town of Aiello, cars were few and far between. Then came the day in 1956 when our family packed up and headed off to Canada in search of a better life. I was 4 years old and had not been out of our hometown. I don't think I was in a car during my life in Italy until the day we left Aiello, in a cab.that would take us to port. We travelled to Canada on an ocean liner to Halifax. I remember my mother taking me for a walk on the boat. We went into a souvenir shop where I spotted a scaled down shiny red toy car in a display case. My eyes locked on that car like radar. I knew I had to have that car against my mother's insistence that she wasn't going to buy it and for good reasons since there were necessities to buy that were of a higher priority. As a 4 year old my negotiating skills were well advanced, (I was wasn't leaving that shop without the car lol!) I finally convinced my mother to buy the car. I realize now that was the moment when my interest in classic cars began. I think the passion shaped my working career as well having worked in the machining trade and the Mechanical Planning field at Algoma Steel.. Settling in the Soo in our house in Bayview Dad would take us kids for a ride and shopping. My parents never owned a vehicle but Italians being a closely knit there was always someone that would drive us around. I recall sitting in the front seat of one of those big North American Cars, a 1954 Ford. It was huuuge and the steering wheel was gigantic.. I was in awe riding in that car. Reminiscing back to those days, many families that emigrated to Canada never owned a car. They managed without since there was always someone with a car to help out or they used the city transit system. Fast forward to the late Sixties -- I worked at the Dominion Grocery store at the corner of 2nd line and Peoples road. I earned $400 for tuition to study at Cambrian College and enough money to purchase my first car. Those days everything happened on Queen St. I spotted the car of my dreams on Queen, it was a 1963 Chev impala convertible and it had a for sale sign. I knew that was the car I wanted and made the deal paying $400 for the car. Up next was to install an 8 track stereo to listen to the likes of the Rolling Stones, America, Nazareth, Janis Joplin, Three Dog Night and others that played at the iconic Woodstock Music Festival the likes of Santana and Joe Cocker. Entertainment, socializing,and cruising was what Queen Street was about. Queen Street had 3 movie theaters and there was always an audience for the cruisers because it was the shopping hub of the Soo. The best times and place to cruise were Friday evenings in front of the 3 movie theaters - The Algoma, The Odeon and The Orpheum at around 9 pm when there would be long lineups outside the shows waiting to get in. Those days provided great times, great memories and as Mary Hopkin would sing .........Those were the days, my friend we thought they'd never end.
Hi Friends....................My name is Joseph Coccimiglio and I am running a Space called Cruizin Queen - a virtual Space to socialize in about locally owned classic cars, high performance late model cars, EVs, trucks, motorcycles, circle track racing, drag racing and even daily rides.
My interest in Classic Cars goes back to the 1950s in Aiello, Calabria, Italy.
Those days in the town of Aiello, cars were few and far between. Then came the day in 1956 when our family packed up and headed off to Canada in search of a better life. I was 4 years old and had not been out of our hometown. I don't think I was in a car during my life in Italy until the day we left Aiello, in a cab.that would take us to port.
We travelled to Canada on an ocean liner to Halifax.
I remember my mother taking me for a walk on the boat. We went into a souvenir shop where I spotted a scaled down shiny red toy car in a display case. My eyes locked on that car like radar. I knew I had to have that car against my mother's insistence that she wasn't going to buy it and for good reasons since there were necessities to buy that were of a higher priority.
As a 4 year old my negotiating skills were well advanced, (I was wasn't leaving that shop without the car lol!) I finally convinced my mother to buy the car. I realize now that was the moment when my interest in classic cars began. I think the passion shaped my working career as well having worked in the machining trade and the Mechanical Planning field at Algoma Steel..
Settling in the Soo in our house in Bayview Dad would take us kids for a ride and shopping. My parents never owned a vehicle but Italians being a closely knit there was always someone that would drive us around. I recall sitting in the front seat of one of those big North American Cars, a 1954 Ford. It was huuuge and the steering wheel was gigantic.. I was in awe riding in that car.
Reminiscing back to those days, many families that emigrated to Canada never owned a car. They managed without since there was always someone with a car to help out or they used the city transit system.
Fast forward to the late Sixties -- I worked at the Dominion Grocery store at the corner of 2nd line and Peoples road. I earned $400 for tuition to study at Cambrian College and enough money to purchase my first car.
Those days everything happened on Queen St. I spotted the car of my dreams on Queen, it was a 1963 Chev impala convertible and it had a for sale sign. I knew that was the car I wanted and made the deal paying $400 for the car.
Up next was to install an 8 track stereo to listen to the likes of the Rolling Stones, America, Nazareth, Janis Joplin, Three Dog Night and others that played at the iconic Woodstock Music Festival the likes of Santana and Joe Cocker.
Entertainment, socializing,and cruising was what Queen Street was about. Queen Street had 3 movie theaters and there was always an audience for the cruisers because it was the shopping hub of the Soo. The best times and place to cruise were Friday evenings in front of the 3 movie theaters - The Algoma, The Odeon and The Orpheum at around 9 pm when there would be long lineups outside the shows waiting to get in.
Those days provided great times, great memories and as Mary Hopkin would sing .........Those were the days, my friend we thought they'd never end.