Cruise-in for Vassalboro Days

Freddie Pullen, seated, celebrates half a century at his family business and a decade of car shows. Billy Pullen is on the far right. (photo by Lee Pullen)

by Gillian Lalime

Not every mechanic shop will deliver your serviced motor vehicle back to your dooryard. Growing up, this is how I heard about Freddie’s Garage. Billy or Roxanne would drop the car off in our driveway after it’d been fixed. Only once becoming an adult and having to get my own cars fixed at various garages did I realize how special, not to mention helpful, this is.

William Pullen, known to all as Billy, learned to drive at age 10. His father, Frederick “Freddie” Pullen started Freddie’s Garage in 1960. Freddie’s might be the longest lived business establishment in Vassalboro, operating now for 65 years. It even survived a fire in 1999. According to Billy, Freddie gave each of the five Pullen children a car and “the rest of the time, we were on our own”. Billy’s eyes twinkle when he mentions, “Now I own 100 cars”. He’s not kidding. Going to car shows, fixing vehicles, and collecting cars is a large slice of Billy’s life. You might say the man’s got motor oil in his veins.

In 1980 Billy met his wife, Roxanne. They’d been set up by her aunt on a blind date. Roxanne was one of seven sisters and coincidently, the only daughter their father taught to service the family vehicle. “Oh, he taught me to change the oil, boost a car, jump the starter, fix a tire, stuff like that.” Roxanne remembers. After raising a family and retiring from her day job, she joined the team at Freddie’s full time.

Owning your own business is a lifestyle. You simply can’t “leave work at work”….especially in Billy’s line of work. When we think of ‘First Responders’ we imagine EMS, Policemen, and Firefighters…people in uniforms, correct? Who we don’t often envision are the tow truck drivers. Billy’s phone rings 24/7, 365 days/week. “You see all kinds of things you shouldn’t see, probably.” After getting his license at 15 he started driving the tow truck. Working at Freddie’s is all Billy has ever known. He’s been there full-time since graduating from Waterville High School in 1975.

This year marks Billy’s 50th at Freddie’s.

On a rare summer afternoon he and Roxanne get up to camp for…”Oh, usually enough time to mow the lawn”. But, Billy says, “If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be here at 69 years old.” The phone rings every 10 minutes or so during our interview. In between answering phone calls Roxanne laughs and states, “I’m technically retired!”

So what does this couple do to have fun in their “spare time”?

Ten years ago Billy walked through the doors of the Vassalboro Town Office and asked if he could “use their lawn”… apparently this request was a first. Freddie’s was going to host a cruise-in.

The difference between a car show and a cruise-in is the formality. A car show has specific categories with trophies for each. According to Billy and Roxanne, any car is welcome at a cruise-in, not just antiques or muscle cars. Here people, “just go, hang out, look at other people’s cars, and have something to eat.” There are two food trucks from vendors who live right in Vassalboro; Dave Dutton does hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, and doughboys. The Oil,Salt,Pepper food truck serves deli sandwiches, salads, and cheesecake. There’ll be music, too.

The Cruise-In is both a family effort and a community event that has happened annually for the last decade. “We need about 15 people to work the car show. The first year I only had five people and let me tell you, they worked their butts off!” One Pullen brother, Lee, makes posters and does online outreach. Another brother, Ricky, checks cars in. One of Roxanne’s sisters helps out. All proceeds are given to the Vassalboro Business Association for a scholarship fund that goes to local high schoolers. The Cruise-in is also a tribute to Billy’s late father, Freddie Pullen.

This year’s event will be on Saturday, September 6, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The event is free, and open to the public. Held at the Vassalboro Town Office, 682 Main Street. 04989.

There are many ways we are blessed to live in Central Maine. One of them is having small, family businesses whose owners and workers you know both by name and by heart. This Spring I accidentally rear-ended a car in Southern Maine. I was seven months pregnant at the time so, naturally, I was very shaken up. After some deliberation on the phone with AAA, the path ahead was clear: Call Freddie’s. Roxanne answered and said she’d send Billy down after he got back from picking up another stranded vehicle. On the ride home Billy mentioned it was his birthday. After depositing my smooshed car Billy dropped me off right at my house before heading home himself, late, to his birthday supper.

2023 Cruise-In crew almost entirely family (3 generations)

CORRECTION: In the print edition, the last name in this article’s photo and article was incorrect. The late Freddie Pullen, seated, is surrounded by his children, with Billy Pullen to the far right, in this undated photo. Photo credit should have read Photo by Lee Pullen. This has been updated on the online version of this article.