caption, page 4:

The winner of the first D.L. Holke Award, Dean and Mary Hazard with their '34 Ford sedan and the trophy.  Pictured with Peter Regas, Mia Holke Longo, Misty Holke and David Holke. Linda Lemmon photo.


Honoring a friend’s life
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
POMFRET — How to honor his friend who had passed. Sending flowers didn’t seem to fit for Pete Regas.
April 27, at the season’s first Tri-State Car Cruise, Regas created the perfect honor: an award named for his friend, David Lloyd Holke.
Holke, 79, died suddenly April 6, 2024. Regas said April 27 (“427”) was Holke’s favorite day — likely because the 427 engine was his favorite.
Regas created the D.L. Holke Award and the first winner was a 1934 Ford sedan owned by Mary and Dean Hazard. And yes, you guessed it, it has a 427 engine.
And Regas presented the award to the Hazards at 4:27 p.m.
Family members Mia Holke Longo, Misty Holke and grandson David were there.
The impressive trophy has flames on the pedestals. Naturally — it’s a fast car.
“I created this because Dave liked this car,” Regas said.
He added he intends to give the same award at Putnam’s Main Street Car Cruise in August.
It was the perfect honor as Holke’s obituary described him this way: “Through hard work, and determination, David would go on to found, own, and operate Thompson Tractor.
“David had an explosive, go-big-or-go-home personality. He loved to push the limit; as a bodybuilder, pyrotechnic engineer, outdoorsman. A lover of adrenaline and fast cars, you always knew when Holkie was near, you could hear the revving of his hotrod a mile away. Street racing, drag racing, ice racing; snowmobiles, motorcycles, boats, hot rods; on the land, the snow, the ice, or the water, he was a thrill seeker who had a love of speed and appreciation for fine craftsmanship.”

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