Community Corner

Cruisin' for a Cause in Red Bank

The Friends of Stu Paer hosted a downtown car cruise for charity.

The idea came together in just under two months. Stu Paer’s friends wanted a way to remember their friend. What better way, they thought, then to showcase the classic cars he loved and revive a long-since passed Red Bank staple: a cruise through downtown.

On Wednesday, the Friends of Stuart Paer, in conjunction with Red Bank RiverCenter, welcomed as many as 300 classic cars, hot rods, and modern sports car to the downtown to help raise money for the American Liver Foundation.

Paer, a classic car enthusiast and collector, as well as the owner of the Red Bank Sleep Shoppe, died earlier this year following complications from a liver transplant. Paer, friend and co-founder of Friends of Stuart Paer Frank Woods said, succumbed to a blood infection in April. He was 48. Woods as well as the other organizers decided to honor their friend as soon as possible.

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After getting the OK from borough police and council, Woods went to RiverCenter, which suggested the date. Convincing people to participate was an easy sell, Woods said.

“A lot of people came out because they knew (Stu) and because they heard this was for charity,” he said. “It’s really a family atmosphere. These car enthusiasts, they all pull together.”

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Joyce Cataldo, promotion director for RiverCenter, said the event not only helped memorialize Paer and raise money, but also brought bodies downtown to eat, shop and have a good time.

Woods said a Red Bank cruise was a common occurrence some years ago but hasn’t been seen in about 15 years he said. Already, he said, standing next to his ’53 Pontiac Chieftain just an hour into the event, several people approached him about bringing the cruise back as a monthly event. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but Woods said he’s up for it.

Because it honors Paer, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be.

A little more than four years ago, Woods said, he and his wife were having trouble conceiving a child. With their options limited and facing high medical costs associated with in vitro treatments, Woods said Paer offered to purchase one of his classic rides. Without that, Woods said he and his wife would likely have been unable to afford the procedure.

Today, Caitlyn is three and a half years old.

“Since he moved to Red Bank we’ve been friends,” Woods said of Paer who came to the borough in the early 1990’s. “He’s been a big help to my family.”


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