WESTFIELD — The “Cruisin’ with Bruce Marshall” car shows on Tuesday nights in Westfield will be moving to a new location, with a new person at the helm.
“We’re moving the Hampton Ponds show after seven years to Shortstop Bar & Grill in a really cool location,” Marshall said. Jay Pagluica, aka DJ Jay of JP Lighting & Sound, will be taking over the Tuesday night show at the Shortstop and the Monday night car show at the Daily Grind in Southwick.
Marshall, of Classic Hits 97.7 FM and 1250 AM, still has a full calendar of car shows over the summer listed on his Facebook page at “Cruisin’ with Bruce Marshall.” He said he and Pagluica have worked together on a lot of events. “I really needed the cutback. I’ve been doing car shows for 21 years,” Marshall said, adding, “I’m not stopping, I’m not going away, I’m just trying to cut back a little.”
Pagluica is looking forward to taking them on. “I’m very pleased that Bruce offered that chance to me. We’ve been working together on car shows for many years.”
He said the new location on Tuesdays at Shortstop Bar & Grill is going to be a great location with great visibility, and thanked owner Nabil Hannoush for opening up the opportunity and donating the front part of the parking lot for the events.
Pagluica, who retired last year from the Xerox Corporation, said he has always been a “gearhead.” “I’ve always been a fan of 60s and 70s muscle cars, and have always had my head under a hood somewhere. I love old cars.” He said the last classic car he had was a 70s El Camino.
Last year, in what he calls his own version of a mid-life crisis, he bought a new 2024 Corvette C8 version for his wife Marion, a dark blue convertible with a black stripe on the hood.
The car shows are free, and have on average 60 to 80 cars at a show, from new corvettes to cars from the 30s and 40s. He said there is also a Model T running around town that will often show up.
Pagluica will be organizing the shows, playing music at the events, handing out door prizes and giveaways. He said they will also hold a 50/50 raffle, the proceeds of which will go at the end of the season to local veterans organizations, and he is working with Julie Barnes, veterans services director in Westfield, to make that happen.
Although the new season of “Cruisin’ with Bruce Marshall” officially kicks off the second week in May, Pagluica plans a soft opening at the new location at the Shortstop Bar & Grill on Tuesday, May 6. He said they will be asking people to enter and exit by the lights in front of Planet Fitness.
The following week is the official opening of the season on Monday, May 12, at the Daily Grind, 58 College Hwy. in Southwick, and on Tuesday, May 13, at the Shortstop Bar & Grill, 99 Springfield Rd. in Westfield.
Besides taking on the car shows, Pagluica said, seeing retirement on the horizon, he started to grow his lighting and sound business that he has had since the 70s, and has gotten involved with the new performing arts venue, 52 Sumner, in Springfield.
He said this summer is already very busy on the books. “I couldn’t ask for a better retirement job. In retirement, that’s what I love doing,” Pagluica said.
