By LISA BRITTON

Of the Baker City Herald

They call themselves Charley’s Angels.

They don’t wear leather, and they don’t usually have to fight the bad guys.

These Angels drive cars.

Old cars.

For three years this informal group of about 14 has met at Charley’s Ice Cream Parlor every Thursday.

andquot;Sandy (Payton) called up and said we should support Charley’s on their grand opening,andquot; said Lorna Swiger. andquot;We just decided it was fun that first night and decided to keep coming.andquot;

Owners Corky Harrison and Marty McNair can’t recall a Thursday night without the Charley’s Angels.

andquot;There’s at least one couple here every Thursday night,andquot; Harrison said.

A common order of business at least during the summer is to plan trips to regional car shows.

There’s no commitment, and no required car shows.

andquot;Nobody calls ahead to say we won’t be here, nobody pays dues,andquot; said Betty Duncan.

However, each time the group enters a car show, they sign in under the name andquot;Charley’s Angels.andquot;

The meetings are very informal, they all agree, and they don’t base membership on any certain make or model.

A few of the cars include a ’37 Chevy coupe, a 1956 Ford Fairlane Sunliner convertible, a 1959 Ford pickup, a ’51 one-ton Dodge pickup and a 1926 Ford Model T.

andquot;It’s not even an organized group. We just meet every Thursday night for ice cream and go do things,andquot; Swiger said.

Sometimes they even abandon their sweet treats to check out photos from the most recent car show, or crane their necks to see a vintage car cruise down Main Street.

andquot;If an old car goes by, you hurt your neck trying to see it,andquot; Lee Swiger laughs.

Then there’s the contests.

One Thursday the Swigers passed around sheets of paper with 12 blank lines.

It was titled andquot;Your knowledge of rear ends.andquot;

Accompanying the paper were trunk pictures of 12 restored cars the Swigers had seen at a recent car show.

andquot;They had to identify what car and what year they are,andquot; Lorna said.

The test wasn’t a breeze even for these vehicle aficionados.

andquot;Well, Howard, you did the best. You only missed six,andquot; Lee said to Howard Payton.

andquot;Six?andquot; Payton exclaimed, then quickly scanned his paper to check which cars he’d misidentified.

Year-round activities

The Charley’s Angels even keep busy when the harsh winter weather prohibits them from cruising in their restored cars.

andquot;We went on a junkyard tour in Hermiston,andquot; Lorna said.

andquot;It was colder than blazes,andquot; added Bonnie Taie.

They took that trip last February.

Sometimes the group even ventures from Charley’s Ice Cream for a barbecue get-together.

andquot;It’s not just all cars,andquot; Lorna Swiger said. andquot;We talk about anything. We don’t even talk about cars very much.andquot;