By Deb Donovan
Photos by Dan Donovan and John Rowntree

Even though it was technically still spring, the Alfa gods brought this year’s Wachusett Run summer-like weather. (Perhaps they were inspired by the heavenly graphics of the “Old Stone Church” meeting spot?) It is not for us mortals to question. Rather, we will rejoice and be glad that it was a Tops-Down Day!

Along with the nice weather, tour hosts Deb and Dan Donovan greeted a diverse group of 13 cars, ranging from John Clementi’s 1960 Giulietta Spider Veloce to John Nicosia’s 2020 4C, and a great mixture of everything in between. They were also happy to have members who brought out their “lesser cars” to play with us in the sun, including Mark Patterson’s genuine classic 1971 240Z and Mike Hollinger’s head-turning Honda S2000.  

Besides the usual explanation of the “slinky method”, the drivers’ meeting provided some interesting remarks about the Wachusett Reservoir. The Old Stone Church was chosen as the meeting spot as it is the one remnant of the original West Boylston center, now at the bottom of the reservoir. The Wachusett Reservoir, along with the Clinton dam (also on today’s route), was created to provide metro-Boston its drinking water. Completed in 1905, it would take three years for the Wachusett to be filled to its 65-billion-gallon capacity. Even so, it was quickly determined to be insufficient, as the growing population would need a far larger source. In 1946, the massive 400-billion-gallon Quabbin Reservoir was added after not just one town center, but four entire towns were flooded. The combined water system serves nearly one half of Massachusetts.  

In addition to the Wachusett Reservoir, this year’s “Reservoir Tour” weaved amongst three other local town reservoirs, as well as several other local ponds and lakes. Nonetheless, we managed to snatch some glimpses of the region’s name-sake Wachusett Mountain while enjoying some new roads and the “brand-new” towns of West Boylston, Sterling, Leominster, and Clinton.

After a brief pit stop at Sholan Farms in Leominster, we left the farms, woodland, and ponds behind and headed off to Clinton and Boylston to complete our circumnavigation of the Wachusett Reservoir. Our 66-mile, 2-1/2-hour tour concluded at O' Connor's Restaurant in Worcester, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch.

AONE Reservoir Loopers

John & Roberta Rowntree - 1987 Spider Veloce
John Clementi - 1960 Giulietta Spider Veloce
Dan & Deb Donovan - 1988 Spider Veloce
John & Lauren DeWaele - 1972 GTV
Doug Sondak & Susannah Gal - 1969 Spider
Larry LoPrestri - 1977 Spider
John & Liz Nicosia - 2020 4C 
Ted & Taylor Keon - 1974 GTV
Thom & Liane Brooks - 1986 Spider
Mike & Diane McGeough - 1967 Duetto
Scott Weiner - 1982 Spider
Mark & Celia Patterson - Datsun 240Z 
Mike Hollinger - Honda S2000