Submitted by Richard Smith
We held the 2025 Gymkhana July 13th at the Pochuck Valley Farm Market and Deli. Terri and I arrived early enough to enjoy their ham, egg and cheese sandwiches before setting up for the games. The venue is excellent as it includes a nice shade tree and the grassy area avoids the summer heat of pavement.
Five participants who brought their Model A’s included Jeff Vanderhof, John Morgan, Jim Dunlap, Ken Potts, and Richard Smith. Vinnie and Irene Stefanacci also attended but they arrived on two wheels and I had not made provisions to include a Harley in the games. The games included: Maypole, Plumb Bob, Balloon Toss, Blind Parking, Slalom/Balloon Burst, and Revolution.
The Maypole is a timed event requiring driving in a circle around a pole while holding a rope attached to the pole. The goal is to pick up a weight from the ground using a hook hanging from the midpoint of the rope and go once around the pole to bring the weight back to the starting point without dropping it or toppling the pole. The order of finish in this event was: Jeff, John, Ken, Jim, Richard.
In the Plumb Bob event a plumb bob is hung from the center of the front bumper and the goal is drive the car to position the plumb bob closest to center of an X on a board on the ground. The finishing order of this event was: John, Jeff, Jim, Richard, Ken.
In the Balloon Toss a bucket is placed on the passenger side of the car. The goal is for the driver to toss water balloons over the car into the bucket. No one succeeded.
Blind Parking is a timed team event. A grocery bag is placed over the driver’s head to limit vision. The driver is required to back out of one parking space while making a right turn, then pull forward into another parking space while following the instructions of a guide. The teams order of finish were: Jeff and Evelyn, Ken and Alex, Jim and Vicki, John and Rita, Richard and Alex.
In the Slalom/Balloon Burst five water balloons were placed along a line with the goal being to weave back and forth among the Balloons on the outbound leg and break all the balloons on the return leg. The balloons proved surprisingly resilient. Placements in this event were: John burst three balloons. Jim, Ken, and Richard each burst two balloons and Jeff Burst one.
The goal of Revolution was to drive the car the precise distance to complete one revolution of the right front wheel. Finishing order in this event was: Jim, Jeff, Ken, Richard, John.
After completing the games, we adjourned to the Lamp Post Inn for a late lunch.
After I crunched all the numbers, I determined Ken earned a white ribbon for third place. John and Jim tied for second and red ribbons. Jeff earned a blue ribbon for first place.
Check out the MAFCNJ having fun at Gymkhana. Check out a few more pictures in the Photo Gallery.
