Bruce Price was in Buzzy’s Country Store the other day and I broke the bad news to him that his namesake porch post has been officially retired. Bruce did not appear to be too upset about it and took the news fairly well laughing as we reminisced how it got to be “his” post.
The Buzzy porch post I am referring to was the one on the Store’s front porch situated such that it had been hit a couple of times thru the years. Here on this Twofer Tuesday are two of the more infamous incidents and how the post came to be known as the Bruce Price Post.
After Bart purchased the Cobra kit car package, Bruce, who was renting from Bart at the time, became the head engineer in helping Bart get the car ready to roll. It was Bruce who was mostly responsible for getting the Bartmobile fully assembled and roadworthy.
Thus, it was the Cobra’s maiden voyage to Buzzy’s when Bruce drove it into the Buzzy parking lot to show it off. Several of us had gathered on the porch to check it out.
As Bruce pulled up to the front porch and went to turn the Cobra off however, some excitement ensued. The Cobra’s clutch and brake pedals were so close together and Bruce, who had only driven the car a couple of times, was not quite used to them yet. Somewhere along the line, his foot slipped off the brake pedal and caused the Cobra to jump the porch step and come barreling onto the porch where it hit and dislodged the post. It also sent several of us jumping in the air trying to get out of the way of the Cobra come a calling.
Poor Bruce was naturally embarrassed and shook up as he noted “Of all places and times for me to screw up, you might know I had to do it right in front of Buzzy’s with a porch full of people watching.”
Fortunately, no one was injured, the Cobra remained unscathed and the post was put back in place albeit very shakily so. Ever since that incident, the now-named-Bruce-Price Post has always been easily dislodged. So much so that thru the years, folks would lean up against it and be semi-shocked when it would actually give and move a bit. Let’s just say that the Bruce Price Post was never the same after it tangled with Bart’s Cobra.
Fast forward to several years later, the porch post again had another visitor and again, also had a crowd of onlookers. It was at the first Buzzy Car Show in 2009 and it was a combination Car and Bike Show. Dale Valandingham – well, see for yourself in this video I recorded. (Note how easily JW and Joey Porter are able to kick the Bruce Price Post back into place. Terri and Jimmy’s reactions are pretty good too!)
Ok, so why label this a Full Circle Twofer? As Bruce and I discussed both of these incidents the other day he remarked “Isn’t it ironic that Dale ended up buying Bart’s Cobra?”
While I of course knew that Dale had purchased the Cobra from Bart’s wife Gina a couple years ago, I had never thought of the above Buzzy-porch-post-connection. Who says things don’t happen for a reason? May just have to have Dale return for a followup photo of him and the Cobra back in front of, but not on the Buzzy porch. Stay tuned for that photo.
Music-wise, the Rip Chords had 5 singles on the Billboard Top 100 from 62 to 65. Hey Little Cobra was their biggest hit as it went to Number 4 on the charts in February 64. Try naming one of the other 4 tunes they had on the charts. To save you from wasting your time looking them up – Here I Stand, Gone, Three Window Coupe and One Piece Topless Bathing Suit. (I linked the Topless Bathing Suit one because I knew it would pique your interest as it did mine.)