More than a dozen drivers came to Riverhead Beach on a cool Tuesday afternoon to show off their automotives as part of the first Marblehead drive-in event of the year.
The parking lot at the beach was packed with cars of all types and sizes, ranging from a BMW E36 M3 to a 1969 Chevy Nova SS. Car owners mingled and connected through a common passion for cars.
The event was the first in a series of car meetups that organizers Nicholas Parente and Tucker Beatty have named Marblehead Cruise In. The idea started last year when Beatty decided to hold a car meetup with his friends on his birthday in June. That event generated enough interest and turnout that Beatty and Parente decided to expand the idea, holding meetups more often.
“Enough people came, we had enough demand that doing more, more often, made a lot of sense,” said Beatty. “We did a follow-up one in the fall, which also was well-attended.”
This year, Parente put together a website, mhdcruisein.com, which lays out the schedule of events that will take place throughout the summer. Events will be held on the first or second Tuesday of each month from 6-8 p.m.
“There’s not a lot of places that you can do a car show on the beach,” said Parente. “It’s a good spot to do it close to home.”
Parente said that the meetups began mainly with a few Land Rovers, and over time new owners and new vehicles began rolling up to the events.
“It’s nice when you get one person from a new section of town or a new section of the car community,” he said. “It expands from there and they bring all of their friends. It started with a bunch of Land Rovers and then we got some BMWs and now we got some old Model Ts so it should keep snowballing through the summer from here.”
Other cars on the beach included a 1966 Excalibur, a 2017 Volvo S60 Polestar, a 1995 Land Rover Defender, and a 1931 Model A.
Beatty said that he hopes to have the last event wrap up in October as the fall weather rolls in. He would like to continue the meetups the following summer. But for now, both Beatty and Parente are enjoying the beginnings of an expanded event where car-lovers can convene on a nice summer night, united by a common interest.