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NEWS AND NOTES
Final Der Dutchman Cruise-In of the Season:
The Der Dutchman Cruise-in kicked off the season in the rain and, fittingly, wrapped it up the same way. The skies opened up around 3 PM Thursday and didn’t let up until after 6. Even so, about 139 cars showed up—quite the improvement over the 15 that braved the soggy first cruise-in of the year. The weather may have been a headache this season, but it was still a fun and successful five-month run. No doubt I—and probably a few other regulars—will go through a little Thursday night withdrawal until cruise-ins fire back up again next May.
Honda Marysville Motorsports Bike & Car Night Meetup:
The final Honda Marysville Motorsports Bike & Car Night Meetup of the season drew more cars than motorcycles this past Friday.
As always, attendees enjoyed complimentary food courtesy of the Triple P Barbecue food truck. This month’s raffle featured standout prizes, including two electric bicycles and a $100 gift card. One of the lucky winners was Tim Inscho, who walked away with both an electric bike and the gift card. All proceeds benefited Impact 60.
Friday Night NAPA Cruise-In:
A little over 20 cars rolled into Arch Mayer’s Friday Night NAPA Cruise-In in Hilliard, Ohio. The evening wrapped up around 8 PM as the daylight faded, but not before plenty of great conversations and chrome-shining moments. Classic cars always look their best under the sun, but they still brought plenty of smiles as dusk settled in.
Urban Pineapple Car, Truck, & Bike Show:
The 4th Annual Urban Pineapple Car, Truck, and Bike Show was held Saturday on West Main Street in Downtown Mt. Sterling, Ohio. Registration was $15 and included a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the 81 door prizes. A 50/50 raffle was also held, with all proceeds from the show benefiting Danielle Brown, who is battling breast cancer. A bazaar and craft show took place on N. London Street at the same time. Multiple food trucks and local businesses provided food and refreshments.
A total of 117 vehicles were registered for this year’s show, up from 87 last year. Awards were given to the Top 20, along with six “Special” categories, and a Best of Show. The Special Awards included 1st Place Mopar, 1st Place Bike, Sponsor’s Choice, 1st Place Chevy, 1st Place Ford, and People’s Choice.
Judging was based on a point system and conducted by a panel of four to five judges.
Unfortunately, the awards ceremony cast a shadow over an otherwise successful event. Several vehicles walked away with multiple awards, leaving other deserving entries overlooked. In an effort to make things right, both Steve Andrix and Rod Scott returned their Top 20 trophies so others could be recognized. Allowing multiple wins was a clear misstep by the organizers—one that risks discouraging future participation. Many participants will view the outcome negatively, and some may choose not to return next year.
With that said, Here are the Special Award winners and Best of Show.
- 1st Place Mopar and Sponsor's Choice - 1958 Dodge D100 Sweptside - Owner: Rod Scott
- 1st Place Chevy - 1954 Chevy Bel Air - Owner: Steve Andrix
- 1st Place Ford and Top 20 - 1930 Ford Model A - Owner: Ron Woodrow
- 1st Place Bike - 2012 Harley Davidson Tri Glide - Owner: Dwain Bowers
- People's Choice and Top 20 - 1968 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Phil Emrick
Other Top 20 winners included Bryan Mauger with a 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo and Rick Carroll with a 1935 Ford Coupe.
- Best of Show: Paula and Bobby Wong’s 1967 Chevy Camaro Rally Sport
The Urban Pineapple Show proved it can draw a strong turnout—let’s hope the organizers can clean up the awards next year so there’s only one award per vehicle.
Mario Knapp Memorial Car Show:
The 12th Annual Mario Knapp Memorial Car Show rolled back into Quaker Steak and Lube on Polaris Parkway in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday. This year’s event drew more than 135 cars, filling the lot with a wide variety of classics, customs, and late-model rides.
Highlights included Kevin Martin’s 1962 Chevy Pickup taking home Best Truck.
Dale Pearce’s 1967 Corvette was chosen as the Kids Pick.
The coveted Best of Show award went to Shane Fairbanks and his 2023 Chrysler 300C SRT.
Even the youngest enthusiasts had their moment, as kids who colored muscle car sheets also got to walk away with awards of their own—making it a true family-friendly event.
Hot Dogs at RedFrog:
RedFrog Classics opened its Westerville shop on Saturday for a cruise-in and open house, welcoming local enthusiasts and their rides. Specializing in vintage and classic car repair and restoration, the shop provided the perfect backdrop for the gathering.
Jim Sradeja stopped by during the event and shared a few photos, estimating around 30–40 cars in attendance while he was there. The turnout gave visitors a chance to enjoy a variety of classics while getting a closer look at the shop’s craftsmanship.
Laurelville Fire Dept Car Show:
The Laurelville Fire Department hosted its 7th Annual Car Show and Fish Fry on Saturday, drawing 139 registered vehicles. Awards were handed out to the Top 35 entries, along with special trophies for the top bike, Ford, Mopar, and Chevrolet.
Dave and Jackie Rolfe-Hiles earned a Top 35 award with their 1973 Plymouth Duster, while Steve and Angella Boyer’s 1967 Chevy Camaro SS took home the Top Chevy trophy.
Among the crowd was Bubba Hettinger of the Hi-Way Starz Car Club, who made the 106-mile round trip to attend and kindly shared photos from the day.
8th Annual Ford (Fairlane, Torino, and Mid-Size Mercury) Show:
A number of Central Ohio cruisers were among the 175 attendees at the 8th Annual Ford (Fairlane, Torino, and Mid-Size Mercury) Show in Wilmington, Ohio on Sunday. Hosted by the Fairlane Club of America’s Southwest Ohio Region, the event serves as a mini meet/car show for enthusiasts of these classic models. Central Ohio’s own Chris Kraner was in attendance and shared a great set of photos from the day.
Other Area Shows:
- Marysville Cars & Coffee Season Finale - The final Marysville Cars & Coffee of the season took place Saturday morning at C&N Motors in Marysville, Ohio. Around 60 cars turned out for the final event, with Sabana Coffee on hand serving refreshments. A big thanks goes out to Tim Inscho for sharing photos from the morning.
- The Annual James Dean Run Rod & Kustom Show in Fairmount, Indiana, and the Ducktail Run in Gas City, Indiana, were both held this past weekend. These two long-running events continue to draw enthusiasts from across the Midwest, including a number of Central Ohio cruisers who make the trip each year. One of those cruisers, Jeff Shankle, captured the weekend in a big way—snapping more than 2,000 photos. If you’d like to check them out, Jeff has shared the albums on Facebook (you’ll need an account to view them):
That wraps up another busy week of shows, cruise-ins, and meetups across Central Ohio. I capped things off early Sunday morning with a spirited drive in the Porsche up to Coastline Coffee in Delaware, where I joined the Delaware Area Vintage Motorcycle group for a hot cup of coffee and some great conversation. It was the perfect way to wind down the week—good cars, good bikes, and even better company
Contributors this week include Dale Pearce, Bubba Hettinger, Jim Sradeja, Chris Kraner, Jackie Rolfe-Hiles, Tim Inscho, and Jeff Shankle. A big thank you to each of them for their contributions!
Stay safe, stay cool, and keep those wheels rolling!