Calling All Corvette Lovers

The North Shore Corvette Club of Mass. welcomes you to their 60th birthday party next Tuesday

If you love to spend time admiring corvettes and dream of one day owning one, the North Shore Corvette Club of Mass. (NSCM) invites you to see its members’ cars. They will be on display between 4 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday (July 11) when the club with strong Saugus roots celebrates its 60th birthday at Teresa’s Grille Nineteen at 20 Elm St. in North Reading.

“We will have a huge display for both members and the public to enjoy,” Club President Frank Puccia of Saugus said recently.

“We have a current membership of over 180 members. We’re a non-profit club and a charitable organization. We donate every year to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Edith Norse Rogers Veterans Hospital in Bedford, MA, and Toys for Tots. Below is a history of how the Club was formed,” he said.

Puccia offered the following story of the group, which had its origin right here in Saugus. In the years before the formation of the NSCM, there was a group that gathered at the Adventure Car Hop on Route 1, who were a “Loose Collection,” sometimes referred to as the “Route 1 Racing Association.” In those days Route 1 was loaded with traffic lights. They were starting points for quarter mile drag racing. One such light was located at the intersection of Route 1 north and the Fellsway and went by the Adventure Car Hop and ended just before the Walnut Street overpass. Nothing more needs to be said regarding the group’s name!

That being said, there was much talk of how the corvette had replaced the building of light weight “hot rod” powerhouses from old 30’s and 40’s coups and pickup trucks. Why spend all that time and money when you could buy a “powerhouse” already completed and it looked really good!! This type of talk led into what we now know as the foundation for the birth of the NSCM.

What there was then were two groups of corvette owners: 1) the older group using the Adventure Car Hop from the late 50’s and early 60’s and 2) the second group or generation who were the ones from the Adventure Car Hop and Little Dunks or St. Dunks, which was a small Dunkin’ Doughnuts in Saugus and which was where Ocean State Job Lot is now located. They were the ones who actually started and formed our club, “NSCM and Sports Car Club.”

The first meetings were held at the first sponsor’s dealership, Saltz Chevrolet, in Salem, Mass. Other meetings were held at various other locations in and around the North Shore. In 1967, NSCM incorporated into the club we know today. Their beginnings were humble, but their numbers grew, so a larger venue was needed to congregate in. The answer was Prince Pizzeria on Route 1 south. This site would remain their home for several years. Then the cruise nights moved to the Sylvan Street Grille in Peabody in 2007. The latest move to Teresa’s Prime Grille Nineteen in North Reading occurred in 2021. Through hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of its membership and Executive boards, the NSCM has grown into one of New England’s largest and most active corvette clubs, hosting the only exclusive corvette cruise night in the North Shore area.

Membership is not required to attend. Cruise nights are every Tuesday night from May to the end of September. An Executive Board elected by the members and a set of bylaws have been governing the membership for over 50 years.

North Shore Corvettes of Massachusetts, Inc. is registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a nonprofit organization, and membership enrollment is open year-round. NSCM is a club of many members working towards a set of common goals: to cultivate new friendships and have fun through exciting activities for all members and their families. We welcome all to share their love for the corvette and the culture it has created. Anyone interested in becoming a member of our club can print the membership application and mail it and the membership fee to the address provided on our website or in our newsletter. The rest is history and still in the making!! Save the wave!!!

There are 14 Saugonians who belong to the club. They are John Cabral, Diane Dow, Al Marotta, Donna Marotta, Steve Petrello, Deb D’Arcangelo, Frank Puccia, Linda Puccia, Henry Saulnier, Gail Saulnier, Barry Scott, Jeanne Scott, Joe Vinard and June Vinard.