Fast & furious fun

October 29, 2018 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Dennis Cuadra may have come up with a few tricks for making fast modifications to his fancy car, but the result has been a lot of treats for viewers’ eyes.

“It’s the only car in the state of Ohio with the speakers behind the seats,” the Struthers man said proudly about his 2002 Alfa Romeo, which was featured in the popular 2001 action film “The Fast and the Furious.”

The light-blue vehicle Cuadra bought in 2004 in Hollywood, Calif., for $80,000 also was a treat for many who attended Sunday afternoon’s fourth annual fall Car Show and Trunk or Treat at Faith Community Church, 1919 E. Midlothian Blvd., on the South Side.

Hosting the two-hour outdoor Halloween-themed show was the Brownlee Woods Neighborhood Association.

The family-oriented gathering also was a joint effort between the BWNA and Faith Community Church, the site of the association’s monthly meetings, and was designed to bring the community closer together, noted the Rev. Michael Zabel, pastor.

“There is something for the kids and something for the adults,” he said. “We wanted to bring the neighborhood together and have a safe environment for the kids.”

Cuadra’s car was equipped with three tanks of nitrogen, which you could say helps makes it possible for the Alfa Romeo to travel furiously fast quite quickly – specifically, from 0 to 60 mph in just under 10 seconds. Another unmistakably noticeable feature is the front “Lamborghini doors,” which elevate and open at an angle to resemble a race car, he continued.

For the car show, Cuadra installed a framed picture next to his vehicle that had autographs by Vin Diesel and the other “Fast and Furious” stars.

Before giving his car a Halloween look by decorating it with spider webs made from cotton complemented with clowns with sinister expressions, Cuadra made modifications that consisted of neon lights scattered under the dashboard, along the tire rims, on the doors and elsewhere that can flash. The effect is akin to a traveling discotheque, he explained.

“It lights up like a Christmas tree. It has neon lights everywhere,” Cuadra said, adding the car also has five monitors for watching TV and movies, along with a surround-sound system.

Helping Cuadra achieve the event’s full effect were his two children, Shakira, 6, and Jeremiah, 8, who distributed candy to many attendees and were dressed in Halloween costumes.

Other vintage vehicles at the show included a bright-red 1958 Chevrolet Impala, a black Delta 88 and a blue Corvette Stingray.

The block-watch association, which formed about 10 years ago, represents about 1,000 homes between Midlothian Boulevard and Country Club Avenue to the north and south, as well as Youngstown-Poland Road and Interstate 680 to the east and west, noted Nancy Martin, president.

The BWNA also is the result of two block-watch groups having merged in early 2010, and has a strong partnership with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. The association has used a series of grants to beautify the Sheridan Road corridor, which included adding signage and gardens, Martin pointed out.

In addition, grant money has been used to install benches, solar lighting, sidewalks and other improvements to Lynn Park at Sheridan Road and Lynn Avenue.

“[The sidewalk] is a great addition and makes the park so much more usable,” said Martin, who added that last year, the BWNA secured a grant to make Lynn Park wheelchair-accessible.

The Brownlee Woods Neighborhood Association meets at 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of each month at the church, Martin noted.