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The Furlong brothers, Ken and Ron of Ontario, Canada were travelling in the 1914 Model T Ford Touring Car as part of the re-enactment of the 100th anniversary of the Great Race of 1909 from New York to Seattle, Washington. The Furlongs are members of the Model T Ford Club International Inc. photo by Ileane Breslin
More vintage cars come through Grant Park  Share
On Monday, June 22, a caravan of antique cars from New York came through the village of Grant Park enroute to its final destination of Seattle, Washington. They were part of the reinactment of the 100th Anniversary of the Great Race of 1909 which traveled from New York City to Seattle, Washington. This would have been an enormous achievement in itself, considering cars were just coming into their own at that time and good roads were not yet readily available. Today, 100 years later, approximately 50 cars, representing each of the 50 states, are participating in the race. The cars travel at 35 to 40 miles per hour and do not travel on interstate highways. When asked, what happens if the cars break down, one of the travelers replied, ''We fix it!'' And, if it rains? Ð ''We get wet!'' Several of the cars stopped off at the Grant Park Community Center park to refresh themselves and take in the local sites. Steve Stapley, a collector and restorer of antique Fords, and his wife, Carol Ann, from Ontario, Canada, were traveling in a red 1915 Model T Ford pickup truck. Their traveling companions, the Furlong brothers, Ken Furlong, of Ontario, Canada, and Ron Furlong, a master electrician from Cambridge, Ontario, were in a 1914 Black Model T Ford touring car.
The Furlongs are members of the Model T Ford Club International Inc. They also take part in the various reinactment tours, one of which is the 2009 Ocean To Ocean Endurance Race. Getting there is the most important part of the tour. However, on the return trip home, the cars will be trucked. Russell Publications prints several community newspapers each week, serving Will, Kankakee and Cook counties.
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