Because of Easter, all the events this weekend were on Saturday. The Good news -- the day stayed relatively dry. Just some on again, off again sprinkles throughout the day. The bad news -- it felt more like late October or early November than it did April. In other words, it was cold, damp and dreary!
April Cruisin' with the King in 2019
The Mid Ohio Cruisers held their first monthly cruise-in of the year on Saturday evening at the Burger King in Marysville, Ohio. This marks the 35th year the club has been cruising at Burger King.
Fortunately there was no rain to speak of during the evening, however, temperatures hovered in the mid-40s with a brisk wind out of the northwest. I don't have any sales figures, but I'm guessing Burger King sold more coffee and hot chocolate than normal for a Saturday evening in April.
The show registered 24 vehicles, which isn't bad considering the weather conditions.
This year the club has expanded the number of awards presented each month. In the past, 10 "Favorite" awards selected by the club members were given out at each show. Last year an O'Reilly's Auto Parts pick was added to the mix. This year a second O'Reilly's Auto Parts pick has been added along with five more "Favorite" awards (15 total). Also added is a custom made trophy to the "Favorite" club member's vehicle as voted on by the folks who register a vehicle.
Let's start with the 15 "Favorite" winners for April:
1965 Ford Ranchero
Owner: Sindy Kohler
1929 Ford Model A
Owner: Jeff Shankle
1965 Chevy Impala
Owner: Pam Shankle
1966 Pontiac Tempest
Owner: Mike Shirkey
1970 Pontiac GTO
Owner: Chris Hatcher
2016 Camaro SS Convertible
Owner: Justin Olson
1965 Ford Mustang
Owner: Rick Kingham
1966 Chevy Impala
Owner: Virgil Walker
1973 Mercury Cougar
Owner: Rock Powers
1950 Ford Tudor Sedan
Owner: Jimmy Carmean
1939 Chevy Sedan
Owner: Jim Shaw
1928 Ford Coupe
Owner: Steve Heimbush
1948 Chevy Coupe
Owner: Rex Dillon
Not pictured are Kim Hawksworth and his 2017 Camaro ZL1, and Ben LaWarre and his 1950 Chevy flatbed truck.
O'Reilly Auto Parts Picks
Owner: Todd Merrifield
Owner: Tim Inscho
Club Member "Favorite"
Owner: Jim Cooper
Despite the less than ideal car show weather, the April show still turned out to be a good start to the season for the Mid Ohio Cruisers. The increase in the number of awards along with the free registration makes Cruisin' with King one of the more attractive shows each month. Let's hope the weather in May acts a little more like May weather.
London Strawberry Festival's Royalty Spring Auto Show
If you thought Saturday evening's weather was a little rough, it was an even rougher Saturday morning at the Walmart parking lot in London, Ohio. Only 18 cars registered for the Third Annual Spring Auto Show hosted by the London Strawberry Festival's Royalty.
Here are some of the cars of those that braved the weather to participate in the show.
If there was an award for biggest transformation over the winter, it would go to Paul Hook and his 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE.
Last summer Paul's car looked like this:
This year with a vinyl wrap and some gold paint it looks like this:
I give Paul credit, it's a bold move that really makes his car stand out from the crowd.
One positive to having more trophies than there are cars is that everyone goes home a winner. The two biggest awards, Best of Show and Royalty's Choice went to this Chevy pickup and Dodge Challenger respectively.
That concludes this week's report. The weather forecast for next weekend looks more like spring. A quick look at the schedule shows events on both Saturday and Sunday. Should be a good one.