ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — When Larry and Maleia Dix bought their house from my family 30 years ago they weren’t aware how lucrative it could be.

“No clue,” Maleia said. “He thought the Ryder Cup was a horse race. I thought it was a horse track.”

My seven-year-old self in 1989 could have told them. We parked cars here for the US Open —an effort featured in the Times-Union.

Larry and Maleia would soon pick up where we left off and they’ve since parked cars for four tournaments —this being their fifth— making it a festive enterprise. And over the years they’ve learned what I learned: By doing this you become something of an ambassador and part of the event itself.