Lifelong tinkerer parting with micro cars he restored
‘I just can’t do it anymore,’ says New Straitsville man, 80.
— H is NEW STRAITSVILLE b ig faith will sustain him afte r his tiny c ars are gone , ac c ording to Joe Blosse r.
Parting with the ve hic le s, howe ve r, won’t b e e asy.
“I’d like to se e the m go to some b ody who re ally c are s for the m,” he said.
Blosse r, 80 , is a gre atgrandfathe r, a pastor and an admire r ofmic ro c ars.
W he n Ipulle d into his drive way in Ne w S traitsville , Ohio, he had five of the m line d up, like puppie s in ne e d ofa good home .Four are in pristine c ondition;the fifth is partly re store d.
Blosse r, a life long tinke re r who b uilt his own house , has ne ve r made a hab it ofle aving proje c ts undone .Ye t the prostate c anc e r diagnose d almost 2 0 ye ars ago has invade d his b one s, giving him c onstant pain.
“Ijust c an’t do it anymore ,” he said.
H is love oflittle c ars b e - gan with a c hildhood visit to the fac tory in A the ns, Ohio, whe re two e ntre - pre ne urs had starte d produc ing the King M idge t.
A tiny c ar promote d with tiny ads in magazine s suc h as Popular S c ie nc e , the King M idge t was made from 1946to 1970 .It has a c ult following among c ar e nthusiasts suc h as Blosse r.
“You c ould park two, mayb e thre e ofthe se in the spac e ofone b ig c ar,” he said.
Blosse r has re store d and sold se ve ral M idge ts through the ye ars.H is re maining fle e t inc lude s two M idge ts, a M idge t prototype , an amuse - me nt-park b umpe r c ar that he modifie d into a road-worthy ve hic le and a re d c ar he b uilt from sc ratc h.
H e is saving one ofthe M idge ts for his daughte r and only c hild, and hoping to se ll the re st.
Blosse r did all the work on the c ars in his shop— a handyman’s paradise oftools and spare parts that stands on his 3-ac re prope rty just outside Ne w S traitsville , whe re c oal was onc e king.
T he son ofa mine r was b orn le ss than a mile from whe re he live s.H e has b e e n marrie d to Be rnic e for 60 ye ars.
“Igot me a good one ,” he said.
In 1980 , she told him the y’d made the last payme nt on a re frige rator. H e told he r the time had c ome to b uild he r the house he ’d always promise d.
T he house , whic h took two ye ars to b uild, doe sn’t have a b e nt nail in all 1,50 0 square fe e t, he said.
T hrough the ye ars, Blosse r worke d for a Ford de ale rship, the S tate H ighway Patrol and an e le c tric ian.
H is most important oc - c upation, though, is pastor ofthe Old S traitsville Baptist Churc h, whe re he still pre ac he s on S unday mornings and S unday nights.T he c hurc h has fe we r than 10 me mb e rs b ut, like the c ars, oc - c upie s a b ig plac e in his he art.
“W e ’re going to do it as long as the Lord wants us to,” he said.
W he n his he alth prob - le ms we igh on him, Blosse r still like s to re tre at to his shop — a home ofre - b uilt e ngine s, a home - made ooga horn and othe r de vic e s and c ontraptions that sprang from his tale nte d hands.
S e e mingly invigorate d b y the c ars around him, he doe sn’t sound like an 80 -ye ar-old man c onte mplating his mortality.H e sounds like an e nthusiast itc hing to hit the road in a little c ar.
A fte r he c ranke d the ignition ofthe re d c ar he b uilt, and it starte d imme diate ly, he took it for a quic k spin around his front yard.
“It’s got a H onda motorc yc le e ngine in it,” he said proudly.
“It’ll lay rub b e r.” Readers have told us they want to know how local and Ohio members of the U.S. House and Senate are voting on major issues. In most Monday editions, we will publish a list of recent votes. HOUSE Local members in * H.R.160 A vote to repeal a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices, part of President Obama’s 2010 health care law. Passed 280-140. Democrats No: Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan Republicans Yes:
Gibbs, Johnson, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi,
Wenstrup. Not voting: * H.R. 2146 A bill to give President Barack Obama additional trade promotion authority. Passed: 218-208 Democrats No: Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan Republicans No: Joyce. Yes: Boehner, Gibbs, Johnson, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Wenstrup SENATE * S. Amdt. 1578 to S. Amdt. 1463 to H.R. 1735 An amendment that would allow military prosecutors, rather than commanders, to choose who to prosecute during military sex assault cases. Rejected: 50-49 (needed 3/5 Senate to pass) Democrat Yes: Brown Republican No: Portman * S. Amdt. 1889 to S. Amdt. 1463 to H.R. 1735 An amendment banning torture. Passed: 78-21 Democrat Yes: Brown Republican Yes: Portman *Because of his role as Speaker of the House, Boehner rarely votes. Source: Congress To send an email, go to www.brown.senate.gov/ contact * Washington, DC office 713 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510 tel (202) 224-2315 fax (202) 228-6321 * Cincinnati Office 425 Walnut St., Suite 2310 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: (513) 684-1021 Fax: (513) 684-1029 Toll Free 1-888-896-OHIO (6446) To send an email, go to www.portman.senate.gov * Washington, DC office 338 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3353 * Cincinnati Office 312 Walnut St. Suite 3075 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: (513) 684-3265 Represents the 8th District which includes Clark, Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke and Mercer counties. To send an email, go to http://boehner.house.gov/ contact/ * Butler County office 7969 Cincinnati-Dayton Road Suite B West Chester, OH 45069 Phone: (513) 779-5400 * Miami County office 12 South Plum Street Troy, OH 45373 Phone: (937) 339-1524 * Clark County office 76 East High Street 3rd Floor Springfield, OH 45502 (937) 322-1120 * Washington, DC office 1011 Longworth H.O.B. Washington, DC 20515 Phone (202) 225-6205, Residents of the 8th District of Ohio may use the toll-free number: (800) 582-1001 Represents the 1st District which includes Warren County. To send an email, go to https: //chabotforms.house.gov/ email-me *Washington DC office 2371 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2216 Fax: (202) 225-3012 Represents the 4th District which includes Champaign, Shelby, Logan, Auglaize and other counties. To send and email, go to http: //jordan.house.gov/contact/ * Washington, DC office 1524 Longworth House Office Bldg Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2676 Fax (202) 226-0577 * Lima office 3121 West Elm Plaza Lima, OH 45805 Phone: (419) 999-6455 Fax (419) 999-4238 Represents the 10th District which includes Montgomery, Greene and Fayette counties. To send an email, go to http: //turner.house.gov/contact/ * Washington, DC office 2239 Rayburn Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6465 Fax: (202) 225-6754 * Dayton office 120 West Third Street, Suite 305 Dayton, OH 45402 Phone: (937) 225-2843 Fax: (937) 225-2752
‘I’d like to see them go to somebody who really cares for them.’
Joe Blosser