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1964 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - Owner: Jeff Tolley

This week's list includes the Monday Memorial Day Holiday events.

Most notable this week will be the Springfield Swap Meet and Car Show at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ohio. This is the largest of the three swap meets and car shows held every year at the fairgrounds.

After a two-year hiatus, Big Dawg and the C-Town Cruisers are back hosting a Memorial Day car show in downtown Lithopolis, Ohio.

Here's hoping for great weather and happy cruising this week.

Monday (May 22):

Tuesday (May 23):

  • No Events Found

Wednesday (May 24):

Thursday (May 25):

Friday (May 26):

Saturday (May 27):

Sunday (May 28):

Monday (May 29 - Memorial Day):


For the most comprehensive list of future events in Central Ohio, check out the "Save the Dates for 2023" page. There's also a quick link in the menu at the top of the page.


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

The King of Thursday evening cruise-ins had another big turnout this week. Breaking last week's number by one car with 323 in attendance.

Dan "Boots" Longenette from Auto Smarts Radio brought his brand new 2023 Corvette Stingray to the cruise-in.

Mark your calendars. There will be a celebration of life for Wayne's late wife, Luella, on Thursday, June 8. Wayne would love to see 500 cars attend.

Friday Night Cruise-In Hilliard NAPA Autoparts:

About 40 cars showed up on Friday evening for the cruise-in in front of the NAPA Autoparts store on Main Street in Hilliard, Ohio.

There was a nice mixture of classic, muscle, domestic, and imported cars.

Empty Pockets Armed Forces Day Car Show:

The Capt. Nicholas J. Rozanski VFW Memorial Post 4931 in Columbus, Ohio was the site of the annual Empty Pockets Car Club Armed Forces Day Car Show on Saturday.

Rain showers in the morning got the show off to a slow start. The final registration number reached 66 cars. There were door prizes and two 50/50 drawings. Food for sale was provided by the VFW post.

The club presented 45 "Favorite" awards, four "Special" awards, and a Best of Show.

The "Special" awards included Sponsor's Choice, DJ's Choice, Post Pick, and Most Patriotic.

The Best of Show award went to Michelle O'Sullivan with a 1956 Desoto Firedome.

Cruisin' with the King:

The Mid Ohio Cruisers Car Club hosted its second show of the season Saturday evening at the Burger King in Marysville, Ohio.

The club registered 53 cars with about a dozen or more in attendance that did not register.

There were door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, and a guess the number of candy pieces in the jar contest for the kids.

Each month, the club picks its "Favorite" 15 from the cars that registered. Here are this month's Favorites:

Boy Scout Troop 412 Car & Bike Show:

Boy Scout Troop 412 hosted a car & bike show in Grove City, Ohio on Saturday. Just like the Empty Pockets show, things got off to a slow start because of the morning rain.

The scout troop registered 48 cars and presented 24 awards.

Gus O'Day and his 1932 Ford Tudor Sedan went home with the Best of Show award.

VFW Post 8794 Car Show:

Shaun "Big Dawg" Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers were in Whitehall, Ohio on Sunday to host the VFW Post 8794 Car Show.

Fifty-eight cars attended the event. Awards included the VFW Post's top 30 picks and Best of Show.

The Best of Show award went to Jerry Keck and his 1941 Willys Coupe.

2023 All Ford Show:

The Mustang Club of Ohio held its annual All Ford Show at the Kreiger Ford dealership in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday. Registration was limited to 200 cars and was SOLD OUT well ahead of the event.

I'm excited to report that one of our good friends, Arch Mayer, and his 2004 Ford Mustang convertible Saleen Edition took the overall Best of Show honors. Congratulation to Arch!

Martinsburg Activity Center Car Show:

The 13th Annual Martinsburg Activity Center Car Show took place in Martinsburg, Ohio on Sunday.

The event had a larger-than-expected turnout of 130 cars. Even though registration was "officially" from 8 AM to Noon, some cars got there as early as 6:30 in the morning.

Scott McClure who is the general manager of Westerville Automotive and a regular on the Auto Smart Radio Show was the MC and organizer of the show.

The show awarded a total of 53 trophies. Included in the 53 awards were a Firefighters pick and Best of Show.

The Firefighters pick went to Paul Burkett with a 1948 Chevy pickup. The 1957 Chevy Bel Air belonging to Cliff Warner took the Best of Show honors.

British Car Days:

Quaker Steak and Lube on Polaris Parkway in Columbus, Ohio was the site of the Annual British Car Day Show on Sunday. This year the show registered 181 cars.

Tim Hooten's 1964 MG B Roaster received a First Place award in the MG-B-Chrome class.

I'm going to conclude this week's News and Notes with a little slide show of some of the cars that participated in this past week's Central Ohio events. Other than some rain showers Saturday morning, the weather was great. Watch closely, you might see your car or truck.


A big shout out to Dale Pearce, Dave Bratton, Anthony Musick, Tim Hooten, and Jeff Shankle for their contributions to this week's report. You guys are the best!

Note: Next week's list will be out on Tuesday because of the Monday Holiday. Everyone have a safe Holiday weekend.

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2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible - Owner: Kenny Windle

This should be my last post from the great state of Florida for this year. Heading back to Ohio on Tuesday. Should be back in Columbus Wednesday afternoon or evening. I hope to see everyone at Der Dutchman on Thursday.

With Sunday being Mother's Day, there is a huge line-up of events on Saturday. No one should have trouble finding something to participate in that day.

Monday (May 8):

Tuesday (May 9):

  • No Events Found

Wednesday (May 10):

Thursday (May 11):

Friday (May 12):

Saturday (May 13):

Sunday - (May 14 -Mother's Day):


For the most comprehensive list of future events in Central Ohio, check out the "Save the Dates for 2023" page. There's also a quick link in the menu at the top of the page.


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

This past weekend saw near-perfect car show weather on Friday and Saturday disappear into morning showers on Sunday which canceled three events.

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Attendance at the first cruise-in of the season at the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City, Ohio reached 240 Thursday evening. Of course, there was the usual assortment of low-calorie goodies raffled off at the end.

Delaware First Friday:

The First Friday event in downtown Delaware, Ohio took place on Friday evening. Approximately 38 cars participated in the cruise-in part of the event.

It's my understanding that If you want to leave the cruise-in before 9 PM, you can request assistance from the police to move your vehicle from the designated parking area.

Tri-County's Annual Car Show:

The Tri-County Career Center in Nelsonville, Ohio hosted its annual car show on Saturday. The event drew more the 80 cars.

The awards were hand-made and all the award winners were picked by the students. Our good friend, Dale Pearce, received a Truck trophy. Karson Musick went home with the Best of Show Peddle Car.

NAMI Mid-Ohio Car Show:

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Mid-Ohio hosted its annual car show on Saturday at the Polaris Shopping Mall in Columbus, Ohio. The organization serves Delaware, Marrow, and Union counties.

The event registered more than 80 cars. There were 60-80 vendor booths selling all kinds of merchandise.

The show presented four awards, Best Muscle, Best Classic, Best Modern, and Best of Show. Lynn Wellman and her 1968 Pontiac Firebird received the Best Muscle Award. This was Lynn's first car show. The Best Classic award went to Rex Blevins with a 1955 Crown Victoria. The 2016 McLaren belonging to Joey Lowendick was picked Best Modern and our good friend, Dave Bratton, and his 1937 Ford convertible was the Best of Show winner.

Circleville First Church Auto Show:

The weather turned out to be a little better in Circleville on Sunday than in Columbus. As a result, the Circleville First Church Auto Show registered 85 cars. David Anderson and his 1963 Chevy Impala SS received the Best of Show award.

Other Area Shows:

  • The Elgin High School Music Boosters Classic Car & Bike Show in Marion, Ohio registered 91 cars on Saturday. Our good friend, Russ Annis, and his 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS picked up one of the 25 "Favorite" awards.
  • Speaking of Marion, The Rod Knockers Car Club of Marion hosted its second show of the season at the Rural King on Saturday evening. There were more than 150 cars in attendance.
  • On Sunday, Chad Herrick took home the Best of Show honors at the Eldorado's Car, Truck, & Bike Show with his 2018 Dodge Charger Daytona 392. Brian Z's Ford Falcon received Best Car and Mark Mitchell's SSR Best Truck.
  • After the rain moved out of the area, the Heart of Ohio Antique Center in Springfield, Ohio ended up with 50-60 cars in attendance for its monthly cruise-in Sunday afternoon.

This concludes this last report from Florida. Now back to packing.

A big thanks to all the remote reporters who have sent me photos and info during these first two months of the season. The list includes Jeff Shankle, Dave Bratton, Dale Pearce, Anthony Musick, Bling Amobi Breezy, Mark Mitchell, and Russ Annis. Your help has been invaluable!

Central Ohio Forecast
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1954 Corvette - Owners: Steve Tidwell & Nancy

This first week of May kicks the 2023 car show season into full send.

Thursday sees the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City and Full Throttle Thursdays in Obetz start weekly cruise-ins.

Jax Wax will host its aptly named Street Madness event Saturday evening at National Trails Raceway.

Throw in a full slate of events on Saturday and Sunday and all the ingredients are there for a big week of car events in Central Ohio.

Monday (May 1):

  • No Events Found

Tuesday (May 2):

  • No Events Found

Wednesday (May 3):

Thursday (May 4):

Friday (May 5):

Saturday (May 6):

Sunday - (May 7):


For the most comprehensive list of future events in Central Ohio, check out the "Save the Dates for 2023" page. There's also a quick link in the menu at the top of the page.


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

Last week we lost another Central Ohio Cruiser. Calvin Rowland Jr of Urbana passed away on April 21, 2023, after a battle with cancer.

Many of you will recognize Calvin by his 1952 Chevy and 1987 GMC pickups. Calvin participated in shows all over Central Ohio with his trucks.

Our condolences go out to his family. Calvin will be missed.

Paul Radeuge Memorial Car Show:

Despite less than ideal weather for a car show, some 60-plus cars attended the Paul Radeuge Memorial Car Show on April 23rd at the Outerbelt Brewing in Carroll, Ohio.

The Best of Show award went to Blake Behrens and his 1949 Chevy Business Coupe.

Import Face-Off (Spring):

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Import Face-Off may well be the second largest car event in Central Ohio after Goodguys.

Check out these photos from the event posted on "TheFloat" website. The crowd is very impressive considering how cold and dreary it was that day.

For the second year in a row, the C6 Corvette belonging to Bling Amobi Breezy of the Street Kingz Car Club took Best Install and Best in Show at the Import Face-Off. Congratulations!

Logan Church of the Nazarene Car & Vendor Show:

Early morning showers didn't stop 40 cars from participating in the Logan Church of the Nazarene Car & Vendor Show on Saturday in Logan, Ohio.

Our good friend, Dale Pearce, and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup received the Best Antique Truck award.

The Best of Show award went to Greg Simons and his 1962 Mercury Monterey.

Dick Ater Memorial Jaguar Jubilee:

Dan "Boots" Longenette and the Auto Smarts Cruise & Ride crew presided over the Dick Ater Memorial Jaguar Jubilee Car Show in Springfield, Ohio on Saturday.

The show registered 70 vehicles. The show featured a nice silent auction with many items made from cut steel. Refreshments were provided by 4-5 food trucks on site. As you can see from the photo below, some of the awards presented were not your typical trophy or plaque.

Here's a small slideshow of some of the cars from the Dick Ater Jaguar Jubilee. A big thanks to Dave Bratton for sharing his photos from the show.

Masonic Lodge 475/VFW 3761 Car Show:

Shaun "Big Dawg" Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers hosted their first show of the season on Sunday in Baltimore, Ohio. The show had approximately 35 cars in attendance. Dale Pearce's 1950 3100 Chevy pickup took home the Best of Show honors. Dale had a very good weekend.

Finally, our good friend, Phil Monroe, and his 1971 Dodge Challenger RT received the Peoples Choice Award at the London Walmart Show on Sunday.

If anyone participated in the Toy Barn Car Show on Sunday, please share your experience in the comment section. I'm sure there was a good crowd there.


Special thanks to Dave Bratton, Dale Pearce, Anthony Musick, and Bling Amobi Breezy for their help in putting together this week's report.

Central Ohio Forecast
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1965 Ford Mustang 2+2 - Owners: Steve & Diane Storts

The schedule is fairly light this week. Other than Columbus Cars & Coffee at Starbucks in Westerville, there is nothing else scheduled on Sunday since it is Easter. I did confirm that Starbucks will be open on Easter Sunday for those of you in the mood for a cinnamon dolce latte.

Monday (April 3):

  • No Events Found

Tuesday (April 4):

  • No Events Found

Wednesday (April 5):

Thursday (April 6):

Friday (April 7):

Saturday (April 8):

Easter Sunday - (April 9):


For the most comprehensive list of future events in Central Ohio, check out the "Save the Dates for 2023" page. There's also a quick link in the menu at the top of the page.


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

Not much to report this week. Thanks to the weather, attendance at the Rod Knockers show in Marion on Saturday evening was rather sparse (around 25 cars total). Had a cool award plaque, though.

The weather improved a little bit on Sunday but not by much. The first cruise-in of the year at the Heart of Ohio Antique Center in Springfield, Ohio saw about 50 cars in attendance.

Marysville Motors, formerly known as Maryville Muscle, held its first monthly cruise-in of the season on Sunday. The group has changed locations this year from the Honda Marysville Motorsports parking lot to Ramsey's Parkway Drive-Thru, Pizza, and Pub. The date and time have also changed and are now the first Sunday of the month from 1 - 4 PM. About 25 cars attended the first cruise-in at Ramsey's.

Special thanks to Jeff Shankle and Heather Mershon for sharing their photos for this week's report.

I'm going to close with a few photos from the Columbus Spring Swap Meet held at the Ohio Expo Center on Saturday and Sunday.

Central Ohio Forecast
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2013 Ford Mustang - Owner: Brandon Taylor

The Central Ohio car show season "officially" (by my standards anyway) begins this weekend. Now get those vehicles out of storage, if you haven't already, and let's start having fun in 2023!

Monday (March 27):

  • No Events Found

Tuesday (March 28):

  • No Events Found

Wednesday (March 29):

Thursday (March 30):

Friday (March 31):

Saturday (April 1):

Sunday - (April 2):


For the most comprehensive list of future events in Central Ohio, check out the "Save the Dates for 2023" page. There's also a quick link in the menu at the top of the page.


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

The Miller Automotive Swap Meet and Car Show on March 11th in Chillicothe, Ohio saw several local cruisers receive awards. Anthony Musick received a Top 10 for Newer Cars, Jeff Tolley went home with a Top 15 for Older Cars, and Dale Pearce won the Best Truck and the Appreciation of Dedication award from the Ohio Automotive Event Preservation group. Congrats to all three!

Left to Right: Anthony Musick, Dale Pearce, and Jeff Tolley
Central Ohio Forecast
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1946 Chevy Pickup - Owner: Kevin Marshall

Let me start by expressing my appreciation to those who were concerned about my well-being because there wasn't a post last week. I'm happy to report I'm doing just fine.

There were only two events the previous weekend and three events this past weekend so it made sense to combine both weekends into one report.

Let's start with the weekend of November 5th and 6th.

Miller's Swap Meet & Car Show

The Miller's Swap Meet & Car Show is a twice-a-year event (March and November) at the Ross County Fairgrounds in Chillicothe, Ohio. The March swap meet is generally scheduled for the second Saturday of the month while the November swap meet is generally the first Saturday.

Despite some gusty winds, over 200 cars participated in the car show portion of this year's November swap meet.

Awards were presented to the Top 25, the Top 10 for 1988 and newer, plus 14 "Special Category" awards such as Best GM, Best Ford, Best Truck, Best of Show, etc.

Dale Pearce's 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup received one of the two Sponsor's awards.

The Best Sedan/Wagon award went to Jeff Shankle's 1972 Buick Sport Wagon.

Cadillac Mac's 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 received the Best of Show honors.

Final 2022 Point on Main Car Show

On Sunday, November 6, Shaun "Big Dawg" Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers hosted what turned out to be their final car show of the season.

With temperatures pushing into the 70s, the show registered 101 cars. Awards were presented to the "Favorite" 36, along with a Ladies Choice, MOPO (Most Potential)/Rat Rod), Champions Award, and Best of Show.

Brian Z. who has been friends with Shaun for 8-9 years and always brings him something for his truck received a special appreciation award. You may recognize Brian from his red Ford Falcon. That's Brian's head sticking up above the roof of his car.

Here are the "Special Category" award winners:

The Ladies Choice award went to Dan Varner with a 1963 1/2 Mercury Marauder Fastback.

Shon Knudsen's 1979 Chevrolet Malibu Wagon received the MOPO/Rat Rod Award.

The 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 belonging to Cadillac Mac took the Champions Award.

And finally, Best of Show honors went to Craig Grunkemeyer and his 1967 Chevy Corvette convertible.

To see more from the final 2022 Point on Main Car Show, CLICK HERE.

November 11 and 12

The weather finally started to behave like it was November. The rain from the remnants of hurricane Nicole canceled the C-Town Cruisers Veterans Day car show on Friday.

It stopped raining long enough to keep those attending the final Creative Automotive/Advanced Auto Parts show relatively dry. A new wheelbarrow fire pit was placed into service to take some of the November chill out.

A few folks braved the wet conditions and brought their show cars. Everyone else showed up in their daily driver. Jeff Tolley drove his Biscayne all the way from Pickerington to Marysville.

Rick Jones received the Creative Automotive/Advanced Auto Parts "Cruiser of the Year" award. Rick and his dog attended all nine shows this year.

Tim Inscho was the Runner-up "Cruiser of the Year". Tim made it to all but two shows.

I think everyone in attendance wished the weather would have been a little better but we all agreed hanging out with friends for a few more hours was a nice way to finish the 2022 car show season.

As you can imagine, the turnout for the car show portion of the November Springfield Swap Meet and Car Show was rather small thanks to the snow and cold temperatures.

That's it for News and Notes from the last two weekends. Next week I will post a recap of the entire 2022 season along with my favorite cars, shows, and cruise-ins so stay tuned for that.

A big thanks to Jeff Shankle for sharing his photos for this report.


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.

4

2008 Chevy HHR Panel - Owner: Chris Wise

If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

There were a lot of final shows of the season this week.

Creative Automotive/Advanced Auto Parts Car Show

Creative Automotive and the Advanced Auto Parts Store in Marysville, Ohio held its October car show on Friday evening.

The show had 19 cars in attendance and raised $155 from door prizes and a 50/50 raffle for the local food pantries.

Here are the three vehicles the manager of the Advanced Auto Parts Store picked for awards.

1948 Chevy Coupe - Owner: Rex Dillon
1977 GMC 4x4 Pickup - Owner: Tim Inscho
1948 Ford F1 - Owner: John Cordell

November 11 will be the Last Creative Automotive/Advanced Auto Parts Car show of the season. I've been told that the wheelbarrow and firewood are ready to go.

Empty Pocket Cruisers Trunk or Treat Car Show

The Empty Pocket Cruisers and the Hilliard Presbyterian Church in Hilliard, Ohio hosted their 9th Annual Trunk or Treat Car Show on Saturday. Not sure what it is about this show, but it really brings out the Halloween spirit in folks to do this to their cars.

The show registered 147 cars. Trick or Treating "officially" took place from 1 -3 PM. And let me tell you there were a lot of trick-or-treaters this year. My 365-piece bag of candy was gone well before the awards were presented!

Speaking of awards, The Empty Pocket Cruisers presented plaques to the "Favorite 40" cars, trucks, and motorcycles along with a Church's Choice, Kid's Choice, DJ's Choice, and Sponsor's Choice. Because of Halloween, there were also award plaques for Best Decoration and Best Costume for both adults and children.

Here are the best-decorated cars:

Here are some of the best costumes:

The Special Award winners:

KID's CHOICE - 2012 Mini Countrymen - Owner: Christina Czekalski
PASTOR'S CHOICE - 1940 Plymouth P-10 - Owners: Phillip & Julie Miller
DJ'S CHOICE - 1946 Ford Coupe - Owner: Bob Kirst
SPONSOR'S CHOICE - 1964 Chrysler 300K - Owners: Anthony & Carol Moye

For the rest of the cars and scenes from the Empty Pockets Trunk or Treat Show, CLICK HERE.

Eldorado's Car, Truck, and Bike Show

On Sunday, Frank Russell and the Crossroads Event team hosted their final show of the season at Eldorados Pizza/Spirits in Columbus, Ohio.

With near-perfect weather for October, the show registered 50 cars. There were door prizes plus a 50/50 raffle. At the end of the show, more than 30 trophies were presented including a variety of specialty categories.

The Best in Show award went to Viki and Don Campbell with a 1934 Chevy Master Sedan. Vicki and Don drove 120 miles one-way to attend the show.

CLICK HERE to see all the specialty category winners and the rest of the cars from the Eldorados show.

Cruis'in O'Reilly Auto Parts 2022

On Sunday, the Pastime Cruisers held its final show of the season at the O'Reillys Auto Parts store on Harrisburg Pike in Columbus, Ohio.

The show registered between 35 -40 cars. Awards were presented to the "Favorite" 25 and a Manager's Choice.

The final Manager's Choice award for 2022 went to the 1947 Cadillac of Craig Coleman.

For more cars from the O'Reillys show, CLICK HERE.

Other Area Shows

  • More than 60 cars turned out for the Mid Ohio Cruisers' final show of the season at the Burger King in Marysville, Ohio on Saturday evening.
  • Two Rusty Lug Nut members received awards at the New Beginnings Church Cruise-N-Shop Show in Ashville, Ohio on Saturday. Dale Pearce received the Furthest Driven and People's Choice awards and Anthony Musick received the Best Mopar.
  • Sunday Dick "Hot Dog" Ryman held his annual Wooden Nickel Cruise-In at the Heart of Ohio Antique Center in Springfield, Ohio. There were almost 200 cars in attendance.
  • The 1965 Ford Falcon belonging to Steven DeMatteo took home the Best of Show honors at the FOP Associate Car Show in Whitehall, Ohio on Sunday.

Special thanks to Jeff Shankle, Dale Pearce, Brian Thompson, and Dave Bratton for their help in preparing this week's report.

Central Ohio Forecast
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88/59°F
90/63°F
91/64°F
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88/63°F

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2014 Chevy Impala LTZ Custom - Owner: Donald Crissinger

If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

Finally got a dry weekend in Central Ohio. And because of the dry weekend, I'm posting lots of photos. If you attended a show or cruise-in this weekend, there's a good chance your car may be in one of those photos.

Der Dutchman Thursday Cruise-In

The weekly Thursday evening cruise-in in Plain City, Ohio continues to inch closer to the 400 mark. This week 355 vehicles attended the cruise-in. Only two more cruise-in left for this season.

On Saturday the restaurant held its second Coffee and Donut cruise-in of the season. The first one was back in July and was dampened by rain. One couldn't have asked for better weather this Saturday morning. More than 100 cars stopped by to partake in a donut and favorite morning beverage for a buck each.

Cruisin' with the King in 2022

The Mid Ohio Cruisers Car Club registered 40 cars at the Burger King off St. Rt. 31 in Marysville, Ohio on Saturday evening. The monthly show features free registration, door prizes, and a 50/50 raffle. The club presents awards to its 15 "Favorites" at each show.

To see this month's "Favorites" and the rest of the cars from the show, CLICK HERE.

The Mid Ohio Cruisers will host its last show of the season at Burger King on October 15. As you can guess, Halloween costumes, decorations, and candy are encouraged

Benny's Pizza Car, Truck, and Bike Show

Marysville, Ohio was a busy place on Saturday. With the help of Big "Dawg" and the C-Town Cruisers, a car show made its return to Benny's Pizza on Columbus Avenue.

The show registered more than 120 cars. Best of Show honors went to Carol Atwell with a 1928 Ford Model A 2 Door Sedan.

Motts Military Driving for Daisy Car Show

The Auto Smarts Radio Cruise and Ride crew made its annual stop at the Motts Military Museum in Groveport, Ohio on Saturday.

The show had 84 cars in attendance. Boot's Pick went to our good friend, Dale Pearce, and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup.

Another good friend, Craig Grunkemeyer, took home the Best of Show award with his 1967 Corvette convertible.

First Church of God Fish Fry and Car Show

Saturday turned out to be "Good Friends Award Day". Our good friend, Dave Bratton, drove to Circleville, Ohio on Saturday to participate in the First Church of God Fish Fry and Car Show. The lovely country setting ended up with 68 cars participating in the show.

Not only did Dave rave about the fish and pecan pie, but His 1937 Ford convertible took home the Best of Show trophy.

CLICK HERE, for more photos from the First Church of God Fish Fry and Car Show.

Dub Pub 1st Annual Car Show

After canceling twice because of rain, the 1st Annual Dub Pub Car Show in Dublin, Ohio finally landed on a dry Sunday.

Mike Mitchell who organized the On the Rocks car shows for many years was the primary organizer for this show.

The show registered 78 vehicles. Proceeds from the Door prizes and a 50/50 raffle went to support Back the Blue K9 Units. Thanks to the generous folks at the show the total amount in the 50/50 raffle reached $600. One lucky person went home $300 richer.

Trophies were awarded to the Top 30 cars and trucks. There were also awards for the Best GM, Ford Mopar, Corvette, and import. The top awards were Runner Up Best of Show and Best of Show.

Here are the top award winners from the show:

Runner Up Best of Show - 1968 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Tim Inscho
Best of Show - 1932 Ford Coupe - Owner: Don Benedick

For more from the 1st Annual Dub Pub Car Show, CLICK HERE.

Speak! For the Unspoken Fall Car Show

The Mustang Club of Ohio co-hosted the Speak! For the Unspoken Fall Car Show on Sunday in Hilliard, Ohio. Proceeds from the show went to Speak! for the Unspoken organization which focuses on the rescue of special needs dogs and cats.

The show had just under 200 cars in attendance. The Best of Show award went to Ansel Fox with a 1969 Chevy Camaro.

You can see some of the cars that attended the show by clicking on this LINK.

Other News

  • A couple of weeks ago I asked if anyone knew who took Best of Show at the Mechanicsburg First Responders Car Show over Labor Day weekend. Well Terri Miller, wife of Mike Miller, sent me a photo of Mike and his 1970 Tor Red Road Runner convertible. The car is 1 of 179 produced that year.
  • Some very sad news. Patrick A. Petrime of Ashley, Ohio was killed Sunday evening when his 1975 Corvette Stingray crashed on Liberty Rd near Home Rd. He had just attended the Dub Pub show in Dublin, Ohio that afternoon. Some of you may recognize his car. My condolences go out to his family.

That's it for this week. A big thank you to Jeff Shankle, Dave Bratton, and Dale Pearce for their help in preparing this week's report.

Central Ohio Forecast
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90/63°F
91/64°F
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After the finish of every season, I like to take a look back at what I think was good and what I think was not so good about it. The opinions expressed are my own and apply only to the events I attended. If you disagree with me or have an event you thought was particularly good or one not so good, please feel free to post a comment. With that said, lets get on with the review of the 2021 Central Ohio car show season..

From April 17 through November 12, I participated in 77 car shows, cruise-ins, and meet-ups and was a spectator in another nine. I took 5500 photos of classic cars, muscle cars, exotics, trucks, and motorcycles. I drove over 2600 miles round trip to report on local car events. This may all sound very impressive until you find out Jeff Tolley and his friends participated in 180 events this season. That's pretty much one every single day!

The Good:

Let's start with some good. The 2021 car show season pretty much returned to pre-pandemic normals. To my knowledge, not a single public health agency forced the cancellation of a car event this season because of Covid. Even the Governor allowed Goodguys to return to the Fairgrounds despite banning the public from attending the Ohio State Fair.

Shaun "Big Dawg" Saunders' C-Town Cruisers and Dan "Boots" Longenette and Pepsi's Auto Smarts Cruise and Ride had a full slate of events this season compared to last year. The two combined to host more than 50 shows in Central Ohio!

Following a two and three-year absence respectively, the cruise-in at Chesrown Chevrolet, Buick, GMC in Delaware, and the car show formerly known as On the Rocks in Dublin returned in 2021.

Unfortunately, not every event came back. Missing this season was the USA Days Car Show in Centerburg, Cruisin' For a Cause, one of my favorites, at the Discover Church in Dublin, the downtown Lithopolis show on Memorial Day, the Canal Winchester Labor Day car show, and the Spring Fling (it plans to be back in 2022) just to name a few of the missing shows this year.

The biggest shocker of the season came in June when it was announced after 12 years that Colo's Classic Car Show at the Columbus Zoo was canceled. A lot of rumors floated around as to the reason for the cancellation but the Zoo never put out an "official" statement as far as I know.

After hosting no shows in 2020, The Rod Knockers Car Club out of Marion and the Mid Ohio Cruisers Club out of Marysville returned with their monthly car shows. The Mid Ohio Cruisers show had a new home at the Burger King on Route 31. It took a few shows for everyone to get adjusted to the new location. No question, both clubs continue to put on the best no registration fee car shows in Central Ohio.

The weekly Thursday cruise-in at the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City continued its reign as the king of Central Ohio cruise-ins. The cruise-ins started two weeks earlier this year. It was attended by more than 300 cars seven times during the summer. It set an all-time attendance record of 439 cars on the last cruise-in of the year. A whopping 2900 vehicles were registered in 2021.

Looking back over the year, I can't say there were any shows I attended that were truly outstanding. At the same time, I can't say I attended any that were horrible, either.

The Empty Pockets Cruisers hosted four shows this year instead of their usual three. All four shows were well done. Their Trunk or Treat show continues to be one of my favorites. I always say it takes car people to put on a good car show.

Shows that I participated in for the first time included the All Corvette Gathering, Hosanna Lutheran Church Car Show, Mechanicsburg First Responders Car Show, Blackwing Shooting Center Summer Blast, Farrows Hot Rods and Handlebars, and Tolles Career and Technical Center Car and Craft Show. I was a spectator at my first Italian Gathering and Kreiger Ford Mustang and All Ford Show.

Buckeye Cruzin' at Ohio Stadium gets the award for the most expensive registration fee. Although to be fair, the $175 fee went to support the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer. It was a fun event until the engine revving got out of hand and forced me to leave.

The most chaotic event this year was the Jax Wax Street Madness in July. The title gave a pretty good description of the event. Between the steady line of cars trying to get into the parking area and the hundreds of car audio systems blaring, I had a pounding headache by the time I left.

Heels and Wheels at the Vanity Gentlemen's Club was the most "adult" car show I attended. The Mayor had a couple of huge assets that were hard to overlook. Those who attended the show will know what I'm talking about.

Frank Sanborn gets this year's most miles traveled award. Not only did Frank attend shows in Central Ohio, but he also traveled to events in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Fairmount and Gas City Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Not So Good:

Some not-so-good news this year was the loss of some of our car show community members. Larry Bickers passed away in May. Many of you will remember Larry from his 2003 Mustang "Daily Driver" with more than 190,000 miles.

In September, we lost Jim Matheny. I never met Jim, but I'm told he helped organize and run lots of car shows in the Newark/Heath areas. He held positions with the Super Chevy Car Show Organization and Let's Go Cruising Magazine. For many years, he served as chairman for "Lite the Nite" and operated Jim Matheny Kar Shoz.

And finally, Terry McReynolds passed away in October. Terry was the Pace Truck Driver at Columbus Motor Speedway for more than 20 years. He was also an integral part of Pepsi's Auto Smarts Cruise and Ride team and a close friend of Dan "Boots" Longenette.

All three will be very much missed as will others who passed away this year.

This was my tenth year attending car shows and the first time experiencing a collision at one. A car leaving the North Hills Church of God Car and Bike Show in September pulled out in front of an oncoming car and caused it to flip around 360 degrees hitting a motorcycle and car participating in the show. This added a bit more excitement to the show than expected.

Another first in 2021 was my banishment from the Ohio Car Shows and Cruise-ins Facebook group in July. The reason for being banished was my disagreement with their decision not to approve the list of Central Ohio car events for the week of July 12-18. They decided not to publicize any events that might compete with their group car show at Knox County Fairgrounds that Saturday. Seriously? The group's stated purpose is to promote car shows and cruise-ins in and around the state of Ohio.

After 12 years of meeting on Saturday mornings, Columbus Cars and Coffee at Lennox Town Center was abruptly canceled in May after some participants leaving the meet displayed some very poor judgment. In November, the group started meeting on Saturdays again at The City Apartments -- formerly the old University City shopping center.

I know some of you may disagree with me -- especially everyone at the Vettes, Rods, and Classics show in August when a monsoon passed through Gahanna during the awards ceremony. But I thought the weather wasn't as big a factor this season as in prior years. Out of the hundreds of events scheduled only 15 were canceled or postponed becasue of weather. And most were postponed to a later date.

Speaking of postponed. Thanks to a forecast that turned out to be totally wrong (big surprise), the Performance Charity Car Show in downtown Delaware, Ohio was postponed from July to October. And boy did that turn out to be a good move. The weather on the October date was about as perfect as one could expect for a car show. The organizers liked the October date such much, they've decided to hold the 2022 show in October.

Top Ten:

At the end of every season, I post my ten favorite vehicles I saw at a show or cruise-in. Here are the ones that made me stop and take a second, third, or sometimes fourth look.

No. 10 - 2016 EZ Go Golf Cart model "Tow Mater" - Owner: Julie Brown

No. 9 - 1937 Humber Pullman Limo - Owner: Ryan Patten

No. 8 - Restomod 1969 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Unknown

No. 7 - 1959 Desoto Fireflite Sportsman - Owner: Kaylee Bickel

No. 6 - 1950's Jaguar XK 120 Coupe - Owner: Unknown

No 5. - 1947 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan - Owner: Clement Thurn

No 4. - Restomod 1967 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Ed Stizza

No. 3. - 1962 Dodge Dart - Owner: Steve Brown

No. 2 - 1948 Chevy Pickup - Owner: Sam Parks

No. 1 - Legends of Rock Custom Built Motorcycle - Owner: Unknown

Favorite Photos:

Take 5500 photos and there's bound to be some favorites. Here are the ones that I think best capture the season.

Click or tap on a photo to enlarge and enter slideshow mode.