Help Haiti
It is now nearly a week since the devastation resulting from a magnitude 7 earthquake happened in the poorest nation in our hemisphere so this is a little late. However, the Hatians’ need for your help is as great as it was that first day. It will be for years to come. By some estimates it will take as long as five years before those who lived in homes before the disaster are able to live in a home again. Surprised? If some citizens of the richest nation in the world still are homeless in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, what can one of the poorest do?
About two decades ago Haiti took its first, faltering steps in the transition from a dictatorship to a democracy. Students of democratic societies will say that corruption is a major danger to free societies and in a region where corruption was the rule under “Papa Doc” Duvalier and later his son “Baby Doc”. That culture could take generations to change. Many sources would say that it hasn’t changed hardly at all yet. Consequently, the Hatian government cannot be relied upon to rebuild alone.
The Hatian people will need a prolonged, international effort to get back on their feet. You can help in two ways. First, give what you can. Give as much as you can. Every little bit will help. If you have a favorite, trusted charity, donate there. If you don’t, there are resources around that will point you toward reputable charities that assure maximum pass-through of your donation dollars. As a baseline, it’s hard to go wrong with the Red Cross.
The second thing that you can do is to not forget their struggle to rebuild. Months from now when news organizations turn their focus to the latest troubles and tragedies and what happens in Haiti no longer fills their lenses, seek out the news from non-traditional sources that cover the region. There are many Web-based outlets with resources either in the region or in Haiti itself. Use search engines to find news reports. Google even has a facility to translate reports from foreign languages. A simple Web browser can keep you in touch.
The second task may be more important that the first. With the eyes of millions of people worldwide on the Hatians’ plight, it will be harder for corruption to reassert itself. It’s said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. Keep the light of millions of eyes and hearts focused upon that troubled nation and its people. Each one of you can “add your light to the sum of light” and keep the Hatian people in each of our hearts and minds.
Here is a public service announcement we did for our NBA Development League Futurecast of the Maine Red Claws last Friday to support the league and the team’s efforts.
Public Service Announcement for Haitian Earthquake Relief.
Please, do not forget them.
Northeastern Speedway 50th Celebration to be available from Coastal 181
It’s with great pleasure that we announce that Coastal 181 will carry the Northeastern Speedway 50th Celebration. Race fans who are not familiar with Coastal 181 are missing a real treat as they are a treasure trove of wonderful books and videos. In addition to having iconic books like David Poole’s biography of Tim Richmond and the “Together - The Hendrick Motorsports Story” video, they offer a wide selection of books and videos you won’t find anywhere else.
It’s when you want the books on Beaver Dragon, Bugs Stevens, Ed Flemke and Richie Evans, or classic videos of vintage racing at storied tracks you thought were lost to the ages, Coastal 181 is where you want to look. For our team’s Northeastern Raceway 50th Celebration video, Coastal 181 is right up our street. And we are right up theirs.
Coastal 181 has a complete shopping cart system and accepts credit cards so you can order those special gifts for every motorhead in your life quickly and easily. They are the candy store for grownups addicted to the smell of tire smoke from yesterday and today.
Northeastern Speedway 50th Anniversary/Track History DVD available Nov. 13
Posted by admin in Motor Racing, Products & Services on November 10th, 2009
For immediate release:
NORTH CONWAY, NH (Nov. 6, 2009) - After months of restoring old footage, scanning photographs and countless hours in the studio assembling the many components, fans of Vermont racing history are about to enjoy the fruits of an incredible project.
In a first-of-its-kind video/photo documentary of short track stock car racing in Vermont, Covered Bridge Productions (CBP) is proud to announce the Nov. 13 release date of its latest DVD: “Northeastern Speedway 50th Anniversary Celebration.”
This historic DVD is broken down into four main sections, including a video interview with legendary motor sports broadcaster and Vermont native Ken Squier, who announced at Northeastern Speedway in the early years of his career.
Also included is a photo slide show with audio track history; 30 minutes of restored vintage footage where the viewer has a choice of two audio tracks (one features the comments of 1959 track champion Johnny Gammell, Glen Gadapee and Pete Racine; while the other contains comments from 1960 points champion Glenn Andrews); and 72 minutes of footage from the track’s 50-year reunion celebration on July 18, 2009.
This comprehensive effort also includes a Special Features section that allows the viewer to scroll through detailed track history information. Thanks to the research efforts of track owner Paul Bellefeuille, along with veteran motor sports writers Justin St. Louis and Big Bigelow, full lists of track champions, all-time race winners and event winners from 1959 to 1966 are included.
Thanks to the contribution of nearly 100 photos from Vermont racing historian-archivist Cho Lee, the shots from track photographer Norm McIver make the photo slide show a true masterpiece.
“Restoring the grounds of Northeastern Speedway has been very rewarding for me,” Bellefeuille said. “My wife Lise and I, along with Alan Pike and many others, worked hard to prepare the track for our 50-year reunion, and it was a big success. To have that wonderful day and the track’s rich history preserved forever on DVD is incredibly valuable. After watching the DVD, I’m confident that all of the former drivers, officials, spectators and fans of vintage oval racing in general are going to appreciate the quality and depth of this project.”
While attempts have been made to document the history of other tracks in New England, this may be the most thorough effort made for a DVD. Everyone involved with this special project shares a passion for short track racing history in New England.
“I never thought Northeastern would be cleared away and look as good as it did at the 50-year reunion,” Andrews said after he contributed his comments. “I had a great day at the reunion, and I sure enjoyed the days when I raced there. Seeing the reunion and track history recorded on DVD means a lot to me. I’m thankful to Paul and Lise for what they did at the speedway, and to Covered Bridge Productions for preserving part of my career and an important chapter in Vermont racing history.”
The Northeastern Speedway 50th Anniversary Celebration/Track History DVD ($29.95) will be available initially at www.coveredbridgeproductions.com. Look for more details on other distribution channels in the coming weeks.
CBP PR Services
Contact: Phil Whipple
Tel.: 207.782.0455
All Things Must Pass
Posted by admin in Motor Racing, Sports on October 16th, 2009
Two years have come and gone since we started covering the weekend racing action at Oxford Plains Speedway. Bill Ryan and Butch Lenberg, probably against their better judgement, opened their venue up for full access. Imagine getting the key to the candy store but not knowing the difference between the almond roca and marzapan. (Hint, most people want to stay away from marzapan.) Well, that’s how it was at OPS for us. While being long-time race fans, we had no experience shooting racing, so it was a lot of trial and more than a few errors. Different things were tried. Certain methods were discarded and others adopted. It all started coming together that first summer.
Through the rain soaked 2008 TD Banknorth 250, long nights due to weather delayed or canceled and rescheduled features and the big ACT races and this year’s 250, it’s all been a blast. One contends that if you cannot have a good time at a race track you don’t know how to have a good time. Now, Sirius NASCAR Radio personality Dave Moody has said that there’s nothing worse than a bad short track race. The good news is that there are plenty of things that are worse. Root canals. IRS audits. Holiday dinners at the in-laws.
Truthfully, a bad short track race is better than a lot of things. Fortunately, bad races at OPS are thin on the ground. Great drivers get their first wins. Top drivers fight through the pack to the front. Oh yeah, tempers flare occasionally. There’s nearly always drama which makes for great racing.
Unfortunately, all things come to an end. Trying to make a go of selling race videos during these economic times is akin to pushing a chain up hill. In a good economy it would have been easier, but not a lot. Consequently shooting races at OPS will not fit into the business model in 2010. It’s a sad thing. Reality often is.
This chapter of the business cannot be closed without some very heartfelt thanks.
Bill Ryan for inviting us into his house.
Butch Lenberg for his friendship and help from the start, being creative and making everyone laugh.
Kalle Oakes for being a great announcer and director.
Paula for just being friendly and helpful.
Curtis for keeping things straight for us and keeping me from being run over at last week’s ACT race.
Drivers like Shawn Knight for being the first one to talk to us in spring practice in 2008, carrying cameras and being a friend.
Travis Adams, Timmy Brackett, Ashley Marshall, Ben Ashline, Travis Stearns, Sumner Sessions, Tommy Ricker and Justin Karkos for carrying our cameras time and time again over the years and for being genuinely nice guys.
Shawn Martin, another genuinely nice guy, for letting us use his tape from his in-car camera.
Judy and Mitch from Crazy Horse Racing/Race Basics for being great people, for sponsoring the new “speed shot” camera for 2009 and for carrying the race videos in their shop.
And finally, Trudy and Jeff Marshall. They’ve been friends, teachers, counselors, chauffeurs, travel guides, production assistants… well, just about everything. They’ve made it special.
For those whose names were not mentioned, and there are a lot, you have all made a difference. Thanks to all for the great times, the hard work and the treasured memories.
Northeastern Speedway Project Update
Posted by admin in Motor Racing, Sports on September 23rd, 2009
The Northeastern Speedway Documentary/Reunion video is on schedule for release in mid-October. The toughest part of the project was the restoration of the old film footage taken in the late 1950s and early 1960s and that work is now complete. What will add interest to this section is a narration by Northeastern driver Glenn Andrews and potentially two others. We also have plans to film an interview with a special guest who can offer some special insight into the track action in those early days. More on that once all of the details are finalized.
So, what’s in the project?
There are four major sections:
Photo slide show accompanied by verbal history of the track
Vintage race footage from the track with several, user selectable, narration tracks
The 50th anniversary track celebration recorded July 18, 2009
The special guest interviews
Other features will include:
- Track data, including race winners and track champions
- A behind the scenes look at the restoration of the vintage footage
Upon release, the video will be available directly from Covered Bridge Productions. Other distribution channels are in development and will be announced at the time of the project release.