3rd Annual Fall NYC Checker Meet

Congratulations go out to Barbara and Larry Kiss who organized and pulled off the 3rd Annual Fall NYC Checker Meet held on Sunday, October 25th in Brooklyn. An equally important thank you goes out to Lenny Shiller who was kind enough to make his vast garage available for this great event.

This year, we were fortunate to have 8 Checker cars on hand and about 35 people of all ages attended. Since many people came and went during the 4 hour event it was not possible to get an exact count. With the 8 Checkers out on the street, it was great to see people living in the neighborhood stop by to admire the cars. As usual, people had lots of similes on their faces and recounted stories of their experiences with these vehicles.

The event started off with a snack and refreshments brought in by Lenny and some other participants. Bagels, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls and other goodies were served with coffee and tea. This gave everyone the opportunity to congregate around the serving table and also have conversations in and around the Checkers outside.

Lenny Shiller helped orchestrate the lineup of the cars; not an easy feat given that there were lots of other vehicles parked on the street.

The meet included several 'firsts.'

Steve Barnes used the event to show off his 1975 Checker which is now newly appointed as a yellow New York City cab.

Fabian Ramirez, the newest member of the Checker Car Club of America, brought along his 'new' 1981 Checker which sports a 1400 watt subwoofer in the trunk!

Larry Kiss, showed off the remanufactured engine that was recently put into his 1978 Checker.

A few hours into the meet, Lenny invited everyone into his garage to hear a talk by Taxi Historian Michael Angelich. Based on his new book, "The New York City Taxicab: The First 100 Years," Michael discussed several key events and important individuals that helped shape the taxi business in the Big Apple, including Morris Markin. He shared photos of many cabs that were seen on the streets of New York such as the Electrobat (circa 1900), Luxor (1924) and DeSoto (1936-1952).

Some of those in attendance bought copies of Michael's book and were excited to start reading it while they were still at the meet.

Now that the 3rd Annual Fall New York City Checker Meet is over, all those in attendance are looking forward to 4th. Same month, same place!