Central Ohio Car Shows & Motorcycle Events | September 21 – 27, 2026

As we head into the final full week of September, many weekly and monthly events will be holding their final gatherings of the season. The largest of these will be the Der Dutchman Cruise-In in Plain City, which wraps up the outdoor portion of its 2026 season on Thursday the 24th.

Saturdays, however, remain packed with events for the next three weeks before the schedule begins to taper off as we head into the final few weeks of the 2026 car show season.

Monday (September 21st):

• Southside Diner's Monthly Cruise-In - Mt Vernon [Rescheduled to 9/28]
• Champions Grill Cruise-In - Washington CH

Tuesday (September 22nd):

• Euro Bike Night at Grandview Yard - Grandview
• DQ Hot Rod Gathering - South Bloomfield

Wednesday (September 23rd):

• DQ Hot Rod Gathering - Baltimore
• Columbus Cafe Racers Car & Bike Lunch Cruise-In - Columbus
• Quaker Steak & Lube Bike Night - Columbus
• Final OK Cafe Bike Night - Marion
• Tavern 62 Wednesday Bike Night - Orient
• Lee's Bike Night 2026 - Plain City
• Mundy's Motor Mania - Springfield
• Ruzty Nutz Wed Night Cruise-In - Westerville
• Pats Pizza Bike Night & Cruise-In - West Jefferson

Thursday (September 24th):

• Buckeye Lake Wing/Bike Nites - Buckeye Lake
• Qfm96 Bike Night Tour 2026 (Tavern 62) - Orient
• DQ Hot Rod Gathering - Lancaster
• Cables of Marysville Car Show - Marysville
• Der Dutchman Weekly Cruise-in - Plain City
• Nutter Hardware Vintage Bike Night - Upper Arlington

Friday (September 25th):

• Roundtown Cruisers Monthly Car Show - Circleville
• Sonic Friday Cruise-In - Heath
• Columbus Cars & Coffee (CC&C) at Colin's Coffee - Upper Arlington

Saturday (September 26th):

• Dan The Man Car Show - Alexandria
• Bremen Octoberfest Car Show - Bremen
• Kent's Car & Truck Show - Cedarville
• Maple Grove Church Car Show - Chillicothe
• Columbus Cars & Coffee (CC&C) at 3650 Olentangy - Columbus
• Honda Meet Pre-Meet - Columbus
• Kickstands & Coffee - Columbus
• Columbus Cars & Coffee Meet @ Easton Oval - Columbus
• Hater Hot Rods Cars & Coffee - Commercial Point
• Friendship Village Car Show - Dublin
• Cars N Scouts Cruise-In - Enon
• Red Brick Tavern Cars & Coffee - LaFayette
• ATHS/Buckeye Vintage Haulers Truck Show - Lancaster
• Ohio Univ 70th Annversary Cruise-In - Lancaster
• Laurelville Fire Department Car Show - Laurelville
• Urban Pineapple Car, Truck, & Bike Show - Mt Sterling
• Ducks & Wheels Car Show - Mt Vernon
• Gears & Cheers Car Show - Newark [CANCELED]
• Rat Fest Car Show - New Carlisle
• Cops & Cars Car and Truck Show - Plain City
• Old School vs New School Car Show - Springfield
• Snyder Park Nostalgia Cruise-In - Springfield [Rain Date]
• American Legion Post 92 Car Show - Utica

Sunday (September 27th):

• CAVMG Vintage Motorcycle Show - Delaware
• Kickstands & Octane (Main Ground) - Groveport
• The Honda Meet - Marysville
• Columbus Euro Trash Cars & Coffee - Mt Sterling
• Columbus Cars & Coffee (CC&C) at Starbucks - Westerville
• Sons of Italy Car, & Truck/Motorcycle Show - Newark [Rain Date]

Be sure to check out the Save the Dates for 2026 page for the most comprehensive, best-organized list of upcoming Central Ohio car shows, cruise-ins, meet-ups, and bike events you’ll find anywhere online.

Don’t miss a single event — bookmark it and stay in the loop all season long.

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NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

It looked a little iffy for a dry cruise-in during the early afternoon, but a cell of rain somehow split in two, with one part going north and the other south, leaving the second-to-last Der Dutchman Cruise-In of the season high and dry Thursday evening.

With the threat of rain gone by showtime, the cruise-in managed 171 vehicles in attendance, including nine first-timers.

This coming week (9/24) will be the final cruise-in of 2026, so if you haven’t made it out to one yet, you’ve got one last chance. The following week will be the annual banquet, and then we’re done until next May.

Ricart Cruise-In:

Ricart Chevrolet, Buick and GMC on Billingsley Road in Columbus hosted a cruise-in Friday evening.

The only requirement to participate was that you arrive in a GM vehicle.

The evening included a DJ and multiple food trucks. About 30 cars showed up during the two hours I was there.

Spectrum Support Car Show:

The Hi-Way Starz Car Club hosted its third annual Spectrum Support Car Show at the Eagles F.O.E. 387 in Newark on Saturday, with proceeds from the show benefiting autism support. This year’s show registered 71 vehicles.

The $10 registration fee included one door prize ticket, with additional tickets available for purchase. And as far as door prizes go, there were a lot of them.

In addition to the door prizes, there was also a 50/50 raffle. The Lilly's Pad Food Truck was on hand to take care of anyone’s thirst and hunger pains.

Based on last year’s attendance, the club had awards for the Top 85 along with 15 Specialty Awards—a total of 100 awards. With 71 vehicles registered this year, that meant everyone who entered a car went home a winner.

The Club Participaton Award went to the LC Cruisers.

Here are the vehicles that received the Specialty Awards.

There was also a rather unusual spectator at Saturday’s show. We’ve seen Ralph the Iguana at Central Ohio car shows over the years, but I believe this is the first time we've run across a boa at one.

Getting back to the cars - The Best of Show honors went to Bob Funtjar with a 1957 Chevy Cameo pickup.

Last year, the Hi-Way Starz presented custom-made trophies to the Specialty Award winners that were so heavy they could have given the recipients a hernia. This year, the Specialty Award trophies were so large that one winner had to strap his to the roof of his hot rod.

I can’t wait to see what the club comes up with next year. 😀

Columbus Auto Resale Cruise & Ride:

Dan “Boots” Longenette and the Auto Smarts Radio Cruise and Ride team were at Columbus Auto Resale on Saturday, helping host the dealership’s annual car show on Harrisburg Pike. The show registered 49 entries.

Here are some of the top award winners:

Best Engine: 1965 Chevy Wagon

Make-A-Wish Winner: 1968 Chevy Chevelle — Andrew Van Ert

Best Interior: 1967 Chevy Corvette Stingray — Dale Pearce

Auto Smarts Pick: 1957 Chevy Bel Air — Jim Loftus

Best Paint: 1972 Chevy C-10 Stepside Pickup — Doug Glassburn

Best of Show: 1969 Plymouth Road Runner — Dick DeStefano

Thanks to Doug Glassburn for sharing these photos. Here are a few more cars from the show:

Coughlin Pataskala Ohio's Best Free Car Show:

Bryan Mauger attended the 19th Annual Coughlin Chevrolet Pataskala Car Show on Saturday, where 209 cars were registered.

And when they say free car show, they mean free. There was no registration fee, every participant received a free T-shirt, and free hamburgers and hot dogs were provided. There were also two food trucks and a DJ. It was warm and humid, but fortunately the rain held off during the show.

Awards consisted of 100 Top 100 trophies with no Best of Show or other specialty awards.

With rain expected later in the afternoon, organizers moved the awards ceremony up from 3:00 to around 2:20. Once the awards started, they moved through them quickly.

Bryan reports that the show was well organized and ran smoothly. With more than 200 cars in attendance, he said he didn’t hear a single complaint throughout the day.

Bryan also shared 60 photos from Saturday’s show. Here’s a look at some of the cars in attendance:

Madison County Senior Citizens Center Car Show:

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Madison County Senior Citizens Center held a car show at its facility in London on Saturday. The show registered 40 entrants, with awards for the Top 15, Best Bike, Administration Choice and Best of Show.

Along with the awards, there were door prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Food and refreshments were available for purchase at the Senior Center Cafe, while Chuck’s Car Tunes provided the music and announcements.

Best of Show honors went to Dave Martin and his 1962 Chrysler New Yorker.

Our good friend Tom Lawrence was there helping the Senior Center host the show and shared these photos.

Ralph Wright Memorial Car Show:

Dave Bratton attended the Ralph Wright Memorial Car Show at Reynoldsburg FWB Church on Saturday.

The show officially registered 15 vehicles, although Dave counted 23 or 24 on the show field.

Registration was by donation, and the church provided free hot dogs, chips and cookies to everyone in attendance. Dave was particularly impressed with the cookies—so much so that he brought a dozen of them home.

Eight trophies were presented, including Pastor’s Choice and Best of Show, with the remaining awards divided by decade.

Best of Show went to a Dodge Lil’ Red Express truck.

The awards ceremony started about 30 minutes earlier than scheduled, allowing Dave to get on the road before the rain arrived. It also got him home in time to catch the end of the Buckeyes game.

Dave described it as a low-key and relatively short show, but one he enjoyed attending. Here are more of his photos from the event.

Speak for the Unspoken Car Show:

Sunday marked the fifth year for the Speak for the Unspoken Car Show in Hilliard. The sole purpose of the show is to raise funds for Speak for the Unspoken Rescue, whose mission is to support dogs and cats with special needs.

For the first four years, the bulk of the show itself stayed dry, but rain always seemed to arrive just as the show was ending, forcing everyone into a mad dash to get their cars home. This year was just the opposite. It rained on and off during most of the show, including a 20-minute monsoon about halfway through.

Then, around the time the door prizes were being raffled off, the skies cleared and the sun came out.

Because of the rain, attendance was about half of what it was last year. The event had 103 vehicles pre-registered, with 21 of those no-shows. By my unofficial count, there were about 80 cars in attendance. Not too bad considering how lousy the weather was for most of the morning.

Jim McGruder handled the music as DJ, while Ronni Hunter from 99.7 The Blitz once again served as master of ceremonies.

There were door prizes—lots of them—along with a 50/50 raffle.

There was also a “Mystery Box” auction with the contents valued at nearly $1,000. Rod Scott had the winning bid for the Mystery Box.

But Rod’s luck wasn’t finished. He also won the 50/50 drawing, with his half totaling more than $500. Rod promptly donated his winnings back to Speak for the Unspoken Rescue.

Way to go, Rod!!

Another tradition at the Speak for the Unspoken Car Show is the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was started in 2024, with yours truly receiving the inaugural honor. Wayne Nisly, manager of the Der Dutchman Cruise-In, received the award in 2025.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Charles Self and the Empty Pockets Car Club. Over the past 12 years, the club has raised more than $80,000 for various charities. As one example, the club presented a $10,000 check to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the annual St. Jude Radiothon last December. It was the largest donation the station had ever received.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Charles and the Empty Pockets Car Club was certainly well deserved—not only for their continued support of the car community, but for the difference they continue to make in the lives of others.

Okay, now it’s time to focus on the cars and awards. There were 70 trophies presented at the end of the show, including Top 40, 14 “Favorite” Mustangs and 16 Specialty Awards. The “Favorite” Mustangs were selected by a vote of those participating in the show and represented both old and new.

The "Favorite" Mustangs:

The "Specialty" Award Winners:

With zero motorcycles willing to brave the rain, the judges went out on a limb and presented the Best Bike award to Vinnie Columbo and his 2000 Zamboni.

Gerald Oreste and his 1966 Ford Thunderbird were selected Runner-Up Best of Show.

Ancil Cross and his wife traveled from Jackson, Ohio, to attend the show and took home Best of Show honors with their 1957 Chevy Bel Air. I’m told the car has only around 50 miles on it, and Ancil confirmed this was the first time it had ever been caught in the rain.

It turned out to be another great Speak for the Unspoken Car Show despite the rain. Kudos to Phil Spangler and his team for another well-run event. Maybe next year we’ll finally get a dry show and a dry ride home.

Toy Barn Fall Car Show:

The Toy Barn hosted its Fall Car Show on Sunday. No surprise, the on-and-off rain reduced both the usual number of cars participating and the crowd of spectators. Jeff Shankle stopped by and shared these photos from the show.

Other Area Car Shows:

• Tim Hooten's 1970 Chevy Nova received the Best Classic Award at the Ford Vs Ferrari Show on Friday evening at Valley Ford of Columbus.

• Late-afternoon rain showers on Saturday dampened turnout at the monthly Cruisin’ with the King Car Show at Burger King in Marysville. Only 36 cars were in attendance.

Once again, Mother Nature couldn’t go an entire weekend without dumping water on us. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m tired of constantly looking at weather radar and drying off my car. This car show season will certainly go down as one of the wettest in recent memory.

Even with all the rain, there’s been no dampening of the community spirit or the friendships made and strengthened over the past six months.

I want to give a big shoutout to this week’s remote reporters. The list includes Jeff Shankle, Dale Pearce, Bryan Mauger, Doug Glassburn, Dave Bratton, Jeff Tolley, Tom Lawrence and Tim Hooten. A big thank you to all of you for contributing photos, videos and information from the events you attended.

Have a great week, stay safe and keep those wheels rolling.