Canadian Indian / NHRA Rain Dance

For those of you who may have attended NHRA drag races in the 60&#8217;s and 70&#8217;s, or watched old footage, you may have remembered the &#8220;Canadian Indian&#8221; performing his rain dance before each event. Well the Canadian Indian is in fact 72 years young, currently rebuilding his 40/41 Willys coupe to tear up the 1320 again, only after successfully making it through his bypass surgery this past winter. The Canadian Indian is named Bob Beezer referred to as, Beezer, by his friends. While recently attending at a swap meet with Beezer, I asked Beezer the nature of the rain dance and how he became known as the Canadian Indian, his short story was as follows; Beezer was a member of the &#8220;Peaceful Pacers&#8221; from Ontario, Canada during the late 1950&#8217;s who would often attend <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st=" /><st1:City w:st="on"><ST1Detroit</ST1</st1:City> area drag facilities. During the Peaceful Pacers attendance, local drag racers from the <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1Detroit </ST1</st1:City>area would refer to the Canadians drag racers as a bunch of Indians. Well Beezer wanting to live up to the perception, he decided why not dress up as an Indian just to cause a little more commotion in the <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1Detroit</ST1</st1:City> area. Beezer was subsequently hired by Mrs. Parks to perform his rain dance before each NHRA event until it rained at one event, Mrs. Parks then fired Beezer.
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Beezer subsequently donated his dress to the <ST1<st1laceName w:st="on">NHRA</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Museum</st1laceType></ST1, however; due to today&#8217;s world of political correctness, his dress was never on display. This past winter, Beezer brought his dress back home and is currently restoring it to its glamour, hopefully to wear once again. For those who have had the privilege of meeting Beezer, as I have numerous times as he is almost a next door neighbour, you will not forget this colourful character. Beezer along with three other Peaceful Pacers and friends sat in my basement this past winter for a day and watch old drag racing footage. This was an event which will be etched in my mind with the colourful commentary provided by Beezer and his buddies. I have invited Beezer to the NHRA Reunion in Bowling Green this summer with a group of us who, however; Beezer has a few other minor plans as he will not be attending the reunion. My idea, well if some one out there is familiar with Tony Thacker at the <ST1<st1laceName w:st="on">NHRA</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Museum</st1laceType></ST1; Tony should be contacted in an attempt to persuade Beezer to once again perform his &#8220;rain dance&#8221;. During the last few years we have lost numerous personalities who we grew up watching during the golden era of drag racing. Just a thought !<O</O

 

That's pretty cool. I remember seeing pics of Beezer at the races, but never knew the back story. That must have been a pretty good gig until the rain came.

 

Never knew the story behind it but remember pics also. Might as well keep him around for the HAMB Drags if he makes it out for Bowling Green.

 

any picsof the rain dance?

 

Another team from that era, and from the pacers, the Rini brothers. They ran a nitro fed with a blown chrysler 392. From what I understand they have a finished copy of the original as well!!! You should hear these guys and the stories they tell when you get a few together!!! Bezzer spent a good number of hours at our booth during the Stirling swap meet. Hope I catch up with him at Waterdown as well. Thanks for posting this blown32. I hope more stories about these guys surface from this post. All bet Beezer would be up to that dance with very little rubber arm bending....

 

Yes the Rini Brothers have built a new, old style front end digger which will have one gear, high gear, just like the old days. No pictures have surfaced of this dragster, "The Canadian". This car is absolutely great looking with gold leaf on the hand rolled, full body panels with full chute pack body. Their engine shop was a step back in time, which will never be duplicated, however; various reasons lead to the closing of the shop which will not be posted by myself !!!!

You ask for pictures, well numerous prints at the NHRA Museum have Beezer in the back ground and remember Wide World of Sports? Well Beezer was often in the opening credits wearing his dress during brief glimpses of drag racing footage.

Pistinbroke: I will be transferring old Deseronto footage onto a DVD for you, I'll call you later regarding the use of the DVD at your event....

 

I was at Detroit in 60 and seen him do his dance. I seem to remember something about him taking his headdress off and hanging on the fire extinguisher at the strating line.

 

you should invite him to the H.A.M.B. drags

 

For those who may not remember, I think the Willys ran AA/FA! I saw it in Tucson in the '70s.

 

A nickle for the guy who knows the owner of this Comp car!

 

Is it Jess VanDeventer's T altered roadster??

 

Thanks blown32, looking forward to it.
It was a shame to see the Rini bros shop close up, they built the 354 that's in my a sedan. I picked it up the day after the doors "closed". It really was a cool place to be in, Jim always had a smile and a story, and lots of interesting people stopped by . You just never knew who you might meet there.

 

Just a small update on this story, Beezer has recently restored his outfit !!!!

Look forward to the coming year for a possible attendance of the "Canadian Indian" in his glory at a track near you.....

 

this is so cool...one of many great living stories here on the HAMB! thanks for the update...Where will the next siting be?

 

Beezer's debute: Well, we will be bending his ear this following weekend. I'll post a new thread once I know as there are a few "political" isssues we may have to work out. If the issues cannot be resolved in this wonderful world of political correctness(is that a word ?), well Beezer will just show up at one of the events with our drag car.....

 

Ah The Beez, My old friend!
Talked to him Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend. He is a piece of work.He used to chum around with Ernie Chapman who ran Mohawk Drag Strip in the 60s. I met him through the Rinis when they bought the Webb car about 1969. Quinte Dragway sponsored them a bit and I was conscripted by that tracks Roy Haymen to go to Kingston with him and do the brake lines and bleed on the dragster's brakes. Beez was there a few times. Since then we have been friends. Beezer loves drag racing and that is an understatement. There are lots of stories about his antics most of which are true . He will go where you need him if he can. He is that kind of guy.
Rinis are great guys too. I have seen the new car and watched as it was built.
Don

 

</st1:country-region>
<st1:country-region w:st=" /><st1:City w:st=" on?></st1:country-region>
<st1:country-region w:st=" /><st1:City w:st=" on?>Tony's a great guy. Call the museum directly and ask for him. If he's not there leave a message. I'm sure he'll call you back and listen to your idea. Good luck.</st1:country-region>
<st1:country-region w:st=" /><st1:City w:st=" on?></st1:country-region>
<st1:country-region w:st=" /><st1:City w:st=" on?>Thanks for sharing that story, very cool.

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I remember Beezer "making a pass" with his garbage truck at Mohawk Dragway in the early sixties...a super laugh!

 

Beezer ran a fleet of garbage trucks for his business. "Buford" you are right, there was a picture which appeared on the front page of National Dragster (I believe) with Beezer pulling the front wheels of his gabage truck off of the line. The truck box/container was stuffed full of garbage. After that pictured was printed, Beezer was contacted by the Ford dealership regarding his warranty work !!!!!

I believe I have the footage on the video.....

 

Beezer always has a story to tell. He's a great guy. Been a bit since I talked with him, I need to fix that. How are things up your way Candy, keeping busy?? We should talk soon, any word from Marks predesessor (sp?) at the engine shop?? How about things up your way Norwell??? Did you get that monster of yours fired and running right?? We need to talk soon to. Lots of news on the show I should tell you two about, maybe I could talk Bezzer into a show for us next summer???

 

I believe that the comp car in question is the AA/A the AA/FA 23 T of the Pacers Automotive go to www.pacersauto.com check out the roll bar, wheels, tires and color. I am familiar with the car it has been residing in the Hudson Valley of NY for at least 30 years

 

And upon closer inspection the number is the same looking as when the car was on the cover of CARS magazine it looks like 143

 

Just a little update, Bob Beazer and his wonderful wife "Joan" are now on the HAMB as the "Candian Indian", however; I believe they will not be receiving emails as their email inbox and/or phone never stop ringing....

Hopefully sometime in the future, Joan and Bob will post some of their stories.

Art guru, "Jeff Norwell", interviewed this wonderful couple a short time ago, which will be coming your way in the near future, in a magazine on your news stand. You ought to see some of the photo's and listen to the timelss stories of their adventures.

 

That is actually one of our photographs from our Pacers Auto scrapbook. Give me my nickle!

To add further fyi, the truck fender pictured is the Pacers 57 Chevy Pickup and the black taped on sign reads "CARS Magazine Racing Team". "Charlie Dodge" Hagenmayer is leaning over the car next to Bob Beezer.

------------
Scott Snizek
Pacers Auto, Inc.®

 

More Bob ...

 

At the Shannonville Flatout Weekend Bob was there as were the Rinis and some of us that were around back in the day. Bob and Joan had some DVDs of back in the day and shared them freely. I took a lot of Pics. It is impossibLe to talk to Bob without breaking into a grin somewhere in the conversation. Great guy!
Someone mentioned Ernie Chapman and Bob. I remember the old Ford (or Merc )truck from the old Mohawk Dragway. Someone (and I was led to believe it was Bob) had written on the tailgate "IF YOU CAN'T PASS THIS TRY EXLAX!"

 

I heard that this made the cover of a Canadian hot rod magazine or a drag magazine, which one idk. Just wondering if you or anyone else may have seen it on the cover of magazine? If so what magazine? I'd love to find an archive of that article!!!
Too too funny that Beezer is! lol lol

 

I am not a Canadian, but I have met "Beezer" Bob several times. He always had a good story to tell.