MONROE, CT — Jim Somers, 80, worked at Tomek & Sons Dairy on Daniels Farm Road as a teenager, while growing up in his hometown of Trumbull. The farm had a fleet of Divco milk trucks.
“I learned to drive one of those things standing up,” he recalled. “I fell in love with it.”
Somers’ 1951 Divco milk truck was among the antique and custom cars and trucks, hotrods, muscle cars and classics on display at the Special Olympics Car Show on Fireman’s Field, at the corner of routes 110 and 111 in Monroe, Saturday.
The show was hosted by the Monroe Police Department and the Monroe Street Rodders. The event featured music, food trucks and trophies for the top vehicles among several categories.
The Monroe Volunteer Fire Department, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, allowed the show’s organizers to use its field, and brought antique fire trucks there for display.
Somers wore a white milkman hat and his truck, which bears the Meadowbrook Farms dairy products logo, was filled with old glass milk bottles. Two small inflatable cows were displayed on the dashboard and those attending the car show could read old newspaper articles about the dairy.
“About 25 years ago, I had six of these trucks, including this one,” Somers said. “I collected them when I was young and thought I’d fix them up when I got older.”
He wound up selling the old trucks, before rekindling his interest five years ago and buying back the 1951 model. Since he had sold it, the truck belonged to owners in New York, Florida and New Jersey, before coming back to Connecticut.
“I started entering it into car shows,” Somers said. “I’ve got a lot of trophies. I don’t think I’ll get one today.”
The Divco is named after the Detroit Industrial Vehicle Co. that produced it for 60 years, according to Somers, who said the truck is the only vehicle the company made.
Among the fleet of vehicles at Fireman’s Field Saturday, was a white 1965 Mustang owned by Dean T. Radcliffe and a red 1971 Corvette owned by Jim Bogos. Both men are from Trumbull.
A blue 1953 Ford F100 pickup truck has a vanity plate that says, “GRUMPS”.
“That’s what my grandchildren call me,” said Joe Mazzucco of Milford, who sat in a chair on the grass by his truck. “My daughter lives in Monroe.”
A photo gallery below captures images from Saturday’s car show.
