Publisher of Connecticut Cruise News contributes to community

NEW MILFORD, Conn. — Don Clady has discovered what inspires and motivates him.

It’s a blend of motorsports, publishing, and giving back to the community.

Clady is the creator, founder, and publisher of Connecticut Cruise News, a diverse motorsports publication that is distributed throughout the state, as well as in neighboring states.

In addition, he is an organizer of cruises, bike shows, and campaigns to support veterans and those in need, and a major contributor to several charitable causes.

“He’s amazing….I can’t say enough about him,” said Carol Shaw, who was best friends with Clady’s late sister. Shaw helps with several of Clady’s projects that support veterans in the community.

Clady launched Connecticut Cruise News in 2002, following an inspiring seminar he attended while an employee at a local broadcast company. 

“I walked out of (this seminar) with this…. ‘if you don’t go after something you want to do, you’re going to kick yourself’ reality,” the longtime New Milford resident said.

That night, Clady went home and told his wife, Patty, he planned to start a newspaper.

Using the experience he had previously obtained as an employee at the former Housatonic Publications, Clady assembled the necessary pieces to launch a newspaper.

“I paid attention while at the newspaper,” Clady said of his time at Housatonic Publications, where he learned many of the ins and outs of the publishing world. “I was going to school not even realizing I was going to school for the future.”

The free monthly publication has grown since its humble beginnings more than two decades ago. 

Fifteen thousand copies of Connecticut Cruise News are printed today, with each edition consisting of 80 pages on average. There are both black and white and color pages.

The publication’s content primarily focuses on motorsports, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, Jeeps; activities involving veterans and first responders; events such as music at entertainment venues, including the Ridgefield Playhouse, the Warner Theater in Torrington and the Palace Theater in Waterbury; and charitable causes.

Shaw reads each issue of CT Cruise News and is particularly fond of the articles that honor those who have died and those who contribute to the community.

“He does beautiful articles on people who have helped our community,” Shaw said. “He’s so great.”

Clady said he writes some of the content, but he is supported by a “team of freelancers, photographers, and others” who do layout and contribute a variety of written pieces to create a balanced publication.

“Each (contributor) has a vested interest” in being a part of the publication, according to Clady, who grew up in Bethel.

A husband-and-wife team provides, “Cruise in the Kitchen,” a regular feature that consists of a recipe for readers to explore.

The publication is distributed to all corners of Connecticut, as well as delivered north to Albany and Syracuse in New York. In addition, it has expanded into Massachusetts, Long Island, N.Y., Rhode Island and New Jersey, and gone over the border into Pennsylvania.

The newspaper is not available in every town but is at key locations that can be found here.

Courtesy of Peg Heron Heidel/Peg Heron Heidel is shown at a September 2024 car cruise with Don Clady, publisher of the Connecticut Cruise News newspaper.

 CRUISES & SHOWS

Don Clady has a personal history with and love for motorsports.

He has also long been a promoter for many popular East Coast motorcycle events, and spearheads three major cruise and bike events in New Milford.

Clady is the coordinator/promoter of Cruizin’ New Milford, a Memorial Day car show, to be held this year Sunday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at John Pettibone Community Center; a car cruise in July; and a Salute to Veterans event in November.

In addition, the former Marine is the originator and trademark owner for Super Sunday Motorcycle Shows Est. 1987, and the originator of the Marcus Dairy Cruise Night from 1988 through 1998,  according to is publication’s website.

As a longtime employee of Marcus Dairy, Clady used his skills with promotion to turn up the notch for the motorcycle shows held at the business for many years by bringing in motorcycle vendors, occasional musicians, and more.

“Motorcycles came on a small scale for years,” Clady said. “But then it grew to the thousands. At one point, there were 15,000 to 20,000.”

Thousands of bikers would come from all over the state and around the country to attend what became known as a Super Sunday event.

Celebrities often would stop by the shows, too, to extend their support for the event and show off their rides, he said.

GIVING BACK

Clady reaches a wide audience while also contributing to numerous causes through the many connections he has made over the years.

One of the charity efforts in which he has been involved with for 45 years is the holiday toy and food drive based in New Milford.

Donations benefit those in need and veterans during the holiday season in town and in neighboring towns.

“In a (matter of) a couple of weeks, we collect all this toy stuff, and a bunch of big charity groups donate to us too,” Clady said. 

Courtesy of Don Clady/New Milford resident Don Clady, in red, is shown volunteers with boxes of food for the holiday toy and food drive in 2021.

Many of the donations are distributed to individuals and families who otherwise “might fall through the cracks” because they did not sign up for assistance or need extra assistance, he explained. 

Shaw has worked alongside Clady to put together the veterans’ baskets at the holidays and described his generosity.

“He just does so much to help people,” she said. “He wants to make sure, like at Christmas time, that he helps everybody out with toys. He makes sure they get some of the things they ask for. And he takes his own money to help families.”

In 2024, “151 veterans each received $300 worth of food at Christmas time,” he said. “We have some very generous people who donate.”

Courtesy of Mayor Pete Bass/Jean Mariano is shown with Don Clady at the start of the laying of the wreaths on veterans' graves in 2020.

Clady is also a major contributor to the Remembering Our Veterans/Wreaths Across America event in town coordinated by Gold Star mother Jean Mariano.

Mariano’s son, Jason D. Lewis, was a U.S. Navy Seal who died July 6, 2007, in Iraq. He is buried in Center Cemetery in town, where more than 1,000 wreaths are placed on the graves of veterans each December.

“He is a mover and a shaker,” said Mariano, who met Clady more than 15 years ago while she was raising funds to purchase the wreaths.

“He loves veterans and will do anything for them,” the Gold Star mother said. “And he has been so key in making this program successful. Anybody who thinks it’s easy to raise funds for 1,000 wreaths has no idea how much money that is, but Don has always been so positive so and so supportive, and he goes out of his way to make sure it’s a success.”

Mariano said Clady’s enthusiasm, support, suggestions, and hands-on help distributing little flags to those who would like them at the ceremony before the wreaths are placed are all greatly contribute to the success of the wreath program.   

“He is always so positive and so sure we can always meet the need,” Mariano said. “And he’s right. Everybody pulls together and once again every grave gets a wreath.”

In addition, Clady volunteers with Backpack Brigade.

Items are delivered to the American Legion halls, Catholic Veterans, Disabled American Veterans, VFWs, the National Guard.

Some of the items are also distributed in New Milford through the Youth Agency and Parks & Recreation.