Skip to content

Tag: fortress obetz

Published on Leave a comment on Central Ohio Car Shows & Motorcycle Events | September 8 – 13, 2026
1965 Mercury Comet - Owner: Steve Evans

The second week of September brings another full schedule of Central Ohio car and motorcycle events. There are the usual cruise-ins and bike nights throughout the week, with the schedule really heating up on Friday.

Saturday is packed with events stretching from Bellefontaine to Waverly, with one of the biggest being Lite the Nite in Newark. Sunday features two manufacturer-specific events—the Corvette Gathering XXI in Lancaster and the All Ford Show in Plain City.

Whatever suits your fancy, there are plenty of car and motorcycle events to choose from around Central Ohio this week.

Tuesday (September 8th):

Wednesday (September 9th):

Thursday (September 10th):

Friday (September 11th):

Saturday (September 12th):

Sunday (September 13th):

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.

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:

It was a HOT 🔥 one Thursday evening. “How hot was it, you ask?” Well, according to the WeatherBug app on my phone, it was 95 degrees at 5 PM and still 93 degrees at 7 PM.

The heat kept a lot of the regulars home. Still, despite the unusually warm—or should I say HOT—temperatures, 193 vehicles attended the weekly cruise-in. No question, the shade trees along Jefferson Ave. (Rt. 42) provided the premium parking spots for the evening. And thanks to a nice breeze, if you could find some shade and just sit there, it was actually tolerable.

Here are some of the vehicles whose owners decided sauna-like temperatures weren’t going to keep them from cruising Thursday evening.

Zucchinifest Car & Motorcycle Show:

The City of Obetz hosts its annual Zucchinifest Festival Friday through Monday of Labor Day weekend at Fortress Obetz. The festival features amusement rides, multiple concerts, plenty of food, and a car show on Friday evening.

The Friday car show dodged some area showers and still had 133 vehicles turn out for the event. All proceeds from the show benefit Honor Flight.

Dan “Boots” Longenette from Auto Smarts Radio presented the awards. Steve Elam’s Simplex Military Motorcycle received the Best Bike award, while Dale Pearce’s 1950 Chevy 3100 took home Best Truck.

Best of Show honors went to Troy Lee and his 1960 Chevy Biscayne.

CONTINUE READING

2

Published on 2 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows & Motorcycle Events | August 24 – 30, 2026
1968 Ford Mustang - Owner: Phil Spangler

ATTENTION: A Maserati engine cover was found in the parking lot following the Andon’s Pub Car Show on Sunday. If it belongs to you, please call 614-206-3179.

Hard to believe we’ve already reached the last week of August. We’re looking at September, October, and a couple of weeks in November, and then the Central Ohio car show season will be over.

There’s nothing on the schedule Monday, but things get underway Tuesday with the usual lineup of weekly cruise-ins and bike nights. Saturday’s schedule is a little lighter this week before we head into the final holiday weekend of the summer. The bad news is that some events drop off the schedule after this week.

Monday (August 24th):

  • No Events Found

Tuesday (August 25th):

Wednesday (August 26th):

Thursday (August 27th):

Friday (August 28th):

Saturday (August 29th):

Sunday (August 30th):

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.

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:

For the second week in a row, heavy rains and saturated fields forced the cancellation of the Der Dutchman Cruise-In.

Full Throttle Thursdays:

Thursday’s cancellation of the Der Dutchman Cruise-In gave me the opportunity to check out Full Throttle Thursdays at Fortress Obetz. It’s definitely a different type of crowd than what you’ll find each week at Der Dutchman.

I estimated about 40–50 cars showed up while I was there, along with hundreds of motorcycles. Everything was parked outside the Fortress, while inside there were tables and chairs along with a stage set up for the band. Participants could enjoy food from the various food trucks as well as adult beverages.

This week’s band was Jackass Genius, with a lead singer who was definitely doing his best Mick Jagger impersonation.

The event clearly caters to the motorcycle crowd, with some cars and trucks thrown in for good measure.

Between the smell of weed and the obnoxiously loud car stereos blaring in the parking lot, I don’t think I’ll be rushing back anytime soon. If nothing else, I can now say I’ve been there.

Enjoy the photos from the evening.

NAPA Friday Night Cruise-In:

Just slightly more “laid-back” than Full Throttle Thursdays was the second NAPA Friday Night Cruise-in of the season in Hilliard.

With a perfect evening of weather, about 30 cars stopped by to hang out and talk cars. The quality of the rides was also top notch. And in a complete reversal from Thursday night, I counted exactly one motorcycle. No bands or blaring stereos here either—just a good old-fashioned Friday night cruise-in.

CONTINUE READING

Published on
1968 Jeepster Convertible - Owners: Pete & Jean Dunkel

Subscribe for Updates

If you would like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, simply click the Subscribe link at the top of the page.

This is a non-profit website, and we respect your privacy. Your email address will never be sold or shared with marketers. Subscribing is completely safe — you won’t receive any additional spam in your inbox.

NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

For the second week in a row, the Thursday forecast completely missed the mark. On Tuesday, the outlook promised sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. The prediction looked so good that Wayne Nisely, who manages the cruise-in, sent out an email early in the week touting the “perfect” weather and even reserving a prize for the 500th car to attend.

But the day had other plans. Rain and blustery winds rolled in around 1 PM Thursday and didn’t let up until after 4 PM—so much for 500 cars. Even so, 113 cruisers still made the trip, including five first-timers who stopped by despite the soggy conditions.

Der Dutchman Cruise-in at 4:30 PM
A few more cars in attendance at 6:30 PM including a very nice Cadillac Coupe DeVille

Honda Marysville Motorsports August Bike & Car Night:

Honda Marysville Motorsports hosted its August Bike & Car Night on Friday evening, once again treating attendees to delicious food and refreshments from the Triple P Barbecue food truck.

This month’s raffle saw three lucky winners take home prizes, including two mystery totes and a brand-new Honda push mower. Our friend Nick Mathews was one of the winners, scoring a tote packed with a motorcycle helmet, jacket, pants, and gloves—gear worth several hundred dollars!

It was the perfect mix of great weather, tasty food, and plenty of horsepower to cap off another fantastic evening at Honda Marysville Motorsports.

Zucchinifest Car & Motorcycle Show:

The Zucchinifest Car and Motorcycle Show rolled into Fortress Obetz on Friday evening, drawing a strong turnout of enthusiasts and spectators alike. A total of 214 cars and motorcycles filled the show field, showcasing everything from classic muscle and custom builds to modern performance machines.

Two standout awards highlighted the night’s competition. Dale Pearce earned Best Corvette honors with his beautifully presented 1967 Stingray, while Jeff Ward took home the prestigious Honor Flight Pick for his sharp 2002 lowered S-10 pickup.

Ryan Gebhart's 1971 Chevy Chevelle received the Best of Show honors.

Bryan Mauger captured some of the fantastic rides on display, giving participants and fans alike a lasting glimpse of the show’s highlights.

With a diverse lineup, great weather, and a festive atmosphere, the Zucchinifest show once again proved to be a crowd favorite and a highlight of the late-summer car season.

READ THE REST OF NEWS AND NOTES

4

Published on 4 Comments on Central Ohio Car and Bike Events for July 7th thru July 13th, 2025
1959 Edsel Ranger - Owner: Marc Haserodt

Subscribe for Updates

If you would like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, simply click the Subscribe link at the top of the page.

This is a non-profit website, and we respect your privacy. Your email address will never be sold or shared with marketers. Subscribing is completely safe — you won’t receive any additional spam in your inbox.

NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

The Der Dutchman Cruise-In in Plain City, Ohio, continues to impress, and this week was no exception. A total of 425 vehicles rolled into the lot, filling the summer evening with horsepower, chrome, and camaraderie.

There was even a touch of royalty to the evening’s festivities.

Each week brings something different, and this time, the spotlight was on a Mustang race car with an LS3 small block motor — a bold and unexpected powertrain swap that had enthusiasts gathering for a closer look.

The lot was filled with a stunning variety of hot rods, muscle cars, classics, and custom builds. Here are just a few more of the vehicles that made the scene:

American Legion Canteen Post #144 Independence Day Car Show:

Shaun “Big Dawg” Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers hosted their annual Independence Day Car Show on Friday at the American Legion Canteen Post #144 in Columbus, Ohio.

Despite the summer heat, 59 vehicles were registered for the show, with participants spreading out across the grounds in search of shade. The event featured door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, and a festive Independence Day buffet. The buffet, held inside the American Legion Post, was donation-based and well-received by attendees.

As the show wrapped up, awards were handed out to the Top 40 vehicles, along with special honors for Most Patriotic and Best of Show.

Most Patriotic Award: Kevin Johna took home the honors with his beautifully airbrushed 2015 Chevy Camaro.

Best of Show: The coveted award went to Judy and Jack for their stunning 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

Finishing up, here are the rest of the cars that showed up, even with the heat cranked up.

Firecracker Car, Truck, and Bike Show:

The Champaign Cruisers hosted their 27th Annual 4th of July Firecracker Car, Truck, and Bike Show at Skelley Lumber Company in Urbana, Ohio.

This long-running show keeps bringing in cars from all over the region—southwestern and western Ohio, eastern Indiana, and, of course, Central Ohio. It’s always fun to see vehicles you don’t normally catch at local shows, including rare builds and unique restorations from outside the immediate area.

Participants and spectators enjoyed a wide variety of activities throughout the day, including door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, a driver’s pot, and a great selection of food trucks.

This year’s show saw an impressive turnout, with over 600 registered vehicles and a total of 733 in attendance—making it one of the largest, if not the largest, in the event’s history.

Jeff Shankle and Jim Sradega were kind enough to share their photos from the show—Jeff alone snapped over 800 photos! Here’s a video slideshow highlighting many of the awesome cars that turned out for the event.

The judges selected Steve Bechtel’s beautifully restored, all-steel 1941 Lincoln Zephyr as this year’s Best of Show. Notably, the all-steel body was a rare feature for cars built during that era, making this Lincoln Zephyr an exceptional and historically significant vehicle.

READ THE REST OF NEWS AND NOTES

2

Published on 2 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows, Cruise-Ins, & Meet-Ups for September 3 – 8, 2024
1966 Pontiac Grand Prix - Owner: Don Rife

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

Thanks to the Monday Holiday, News and Notes is reporting an extra day of car events this week.

The threat of rain on Saturday canceled one event and postponed another. Some of us experienced NO rain at all while others got drenched. The Delaware area appeared to be the hardest hit with rain on Saturday. The humidity finally subsided on Sunday and especially on Monday to bring out big attendance figures for events on those days.

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

90-plus-degree temperatures kept cruise-in attendance to 161 cars on Thursday. The food shack got so warm that they stopped selling food at 7 PM.

Only four cruise-ins are remaining this year. The last one is September 26 so time is running out if you haven't made it to one this year.

Zucchinifest Car Show:

The annual car show that's part of the Zucchinifest in Obetz, Ohio took place on Friday evening.

This year the show was sponsored and hosted by Automotion.

Proceeds from the show went to benefit Mighty Hero Homes whose mission is to provide permanent housing for ALL United States veterans.

Taking place around the stadium at Fortress Obetz, the show registered 124 vehicles.

Because of the association with the Zucchinifest, the show attracted hundreds of spectators.

Big Gus from the TV show Tatto Nightmares presented the awards. There were awards for the Top 20 plus nine "Special" awards and a Best of Show.

There was no announcement of a time or place for awards so many of us missed the start of the presentation. The awards were not displayed beforehand so no one knew how many awards there were or what they looked like until the presentation.

Starting with the Mayor's Choice it went to Tootie Slone with a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner.

Here are the other "Special" Award winners:

NASH'S CHOICE
1959 Chevy El Camino - Owner: Ralph Carle
LOGAN'S CHOICE
2015 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Laurie Bowen
BEST INTERIOR
1964 Chevy Chevelle/Malibu - Owner: Anthony P
BEST MOTOR
1979 Ford Ranchero Cobra - Owner: Mason Wolf
BEST PAINT
1956 Ford F100 Pickup - Owner: Rhonda Taylor
BEST BIKE
2004 Harley Davidson Road King - Owner: Tim R
MIGHTY HERO HOMES AWARD
1957 Chevy Bel Air - Owner: Rick Hudnall
BIG GUS'S CHOICE
1948 Chevy Pickup - Owner: Brenda Andrix

Not only was Brenda Andrix's 1948 Chevy pickup Gus's Choice but it was also selected Best of Show.

Brenda's husband, Steve, is usually labeled as the owner of the truck but in reality, it is titled in Brenda's name so it's officially her truck.

READ THE REST OF NEWS & NOTES

Published on
1965 Ford GT 40 - Owner: Charles Crites

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:

Good weather on a Thursday evening generally means a lot of cars at the Der Dutchman Cruise-In in Plain City, Ohio. This past Thursday was no exception. There were 353 cars in attendance. A nice percentage of those cars were attending the cruise-in for the first time.

Union Township Firefighter's Association Car Show:

The Union Township Firefighter's Association hosted its Inaugural car show in Milford Center, Ohio on Friday.

Registration was advertised as $15 the day of the show but turned out to be only $10 -- a pleasant surprise. With registration, you received one door-prize ticket. There was also a 50/50 raffle and a separate raffle for a Craftsman Miter Saw.

Dave Bratton won the miter saw.

The show registered 41 cars. There were award plaques for the Top 15 and Best of Show.

Here are 14 of the Top 15 cars:

Talk about a surprise, my 2017 Camaro ZL1 was picked Best of Show. I'm guessing the younger firefighters liked my car.

Zucchinifest Automotion Car Show:

Friday evening saw another big turnout for the Zucchinifest Automotion Car Show at Fortress Obetz in Obetz, Ohio. The show registered 202 cars.

Here's a little slideshow of cars in attendance.

Best of Show went to Brian Dumond and his 1969 Pontiac.

Richwood Bank Coffee & Cars:

The Richwood Bank in Delaware, Ohio hosted its final coffee & cars cruise-in of the season on Saturday morning.

As always, the coffee bar inside the bank was ready to prepare your favorite mocha latte or pour you a plain cup of coffee.

Doug, the bank manager, came around with that peanut butter and chocolate treat sipped through a straw I raved about last month.

The top door prize of a bucket of car cleaning products and a bottle of Henry McKenna bourbon whiskey went to a lucky cruiser. This month several shirts perfect for cruising were also raffled off.

Auto Smart Cruise and Ride at Ten Pin Alley Car Show:

For the second time this season, Dan "Boots" Longenette and the Auto Smarts Radio team were at Ten Pin Alley in Hilliard, Ohio hosting a car show.

The Saturday show registered 75 cars.

Dale Pearce's 1950 Chevy 3100 received the Best Truck award.

The Best of Show honors went to Bryan Mauger and his 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo.

There were lots of beautiful cars at the show. Here are just a few.

Flywheels Car Show:

The Flywheels Car Club out of Marion, Ohio hosted its 3rd Annual Car Show on Saturday.

The show was held at Prospect Park in Prospect, Ohio. With lots of shade, the park made a perfect setting for a car show. There were half a dozen food trucks providing food and refreshments. A Matco Tool truck was also available in case a car needed repair.

The show turned out to be the biggest one on Saturday with 245 registered vehicles.

There were 70 or 80 awards presented at the end of the show. Although it was not officially announced as Best of Show, the final award went to Buddy Glassburn and his 1966 Corvette convertible with an LSA motor.

Here are a few more cars that participated in the Flywheel show.

Tremont City Car/Bike Show & Barbeque:

Tremont City, Ohio held its 13th Annual Car/Bike Show & Barbeque on Saturday.

The show was in honor of Edward "Eddie" Flora. Eddie was a local car race legend out of Springfield, Ohio who passed away in 2016. He still holds the record for the CC/GS Class in drag racing. His passion was building high-performance engines and racing.

The show had over 80 cars in attendance. Ten awards were presented at the end of the show.

The Best of Show/Eddie Flora award went to Kevin Foust and his 1941 Dodge WC40 Weapons Carrier.

Mechanicsburg First Responders Car Show:

The Mechanicsburg, Ohio Fire Department and E.M.S. held their fifth Annual First Responders Car Show on Saturday.

Besides the cars, tons of hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries were grilled up at the firehouse.

This year the show had 130 entries. Awards were presented to the "Top 45" along with 10 "specialty" trophies.

Frank Deering's 2000 Corvette received a Top 45 award.

Best of Show went to Mark Evan's 1969 Camaro. Mark's Camaro has received two BOS and a Runner-up BOS this season.

Dublin AM Rotary Classic Car Show:

On Sunday, the Dublin AM Rotary held its 5th Annual Classic Car Show in the Historic Business District of downtown Dublin, Ohio.

The show had a tremendous amount of spectator traffic throughout the entire event.

The number of cars registered totaled 100.

The flyer advertised trophies for the Top 30 picks and Best of Show. However, only 24 trophies were presented plus the Best of Show. Of the 24 awards, six were special category awards. These included Sports Car, Rotarian, Veterans Award, Motorcycle Pick, Judge's Pick, and a Memorial Trophy honoring Pete Fuhlbrigge. Pete was a "car guy" and Dublin AM Rotarian who passed away suddenly last fall.

Here are the cars that received the special category awards:

SPORTS CAR
1962 Corvette - Owner: Dean Lampman
ROTARIAN
1981 Jeep CT - Owner: Steve Schmitt
VETERANS AWARD
2017 Corvette Grand Sport - Owners: Rick & Cindy Frye
PETE FUHLBRIGGE MEMORIAL AWARD
1967 Austin Healy 3000 - Owner Matt Swan
BEST MOTORCYCLE PICK
2021 Can Am Spyder RT LTD - Owner: Ted Krouse
JUDGE'S PICK
1961 Chevy Impala - Owner: Joe Wood

The Best of Show Award went to our friend, Harry Ours, and his 1940 Ford Panel Truck.

Canal Winchester Labor Day Festival Car/Truck/Bike Show:

The City of Canal Winchester, Ohio held its 101st Annual Labor Day Festival this past weekend. With the help of Shaun "Big Dawg" Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers, the Festival included a car, truck, and bike show as part of the weekend festivities.

There were 200 cars in attendance on Sunday. Awards were presented to the "Top 50" cars plus awards for Best Truck, Best Bike, MOPO/Rat Rod, Mayor's Choice, C-Town Cruisers Choice, Queen's Choice, and Best of Show.

Dale Pearce's Chevy 3100 Pickup received one of the "Top 50" awards.

Jeff Irwin's 1966 Corvette was picked Best of Show.

River Car Rally:

The River Church in a Barn held its 21st Annual River Car Rally on Sunday.

The church is a converted barn two miles north of the city of Delaware, Ohio on Route 42.

As long as I can remember the Car Rally has always been on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend and has always had free registration, free hot dogs, snow cones, and popcorn.

This year 97 vehicles attended the Car Rally. The judging was by "People's Choice". Voting for your favorite cars could be done by ballot or on your smartphone. The vehicle with the most votes was awarded the Pastor's Choice Award (aka Best of Show).

The vehicle receiving the most votes and therefore the Pastor's Choice Trophy was Kevin Foust's 1941 Dodge WC40 Weapons Carrier.

If you'd like to see more cars from this year's River Rally, CLICK HERE.

Eldorado's Food & Spirits Car, Truck, and Bike Show:

Frank Russell and the Crossroads Events team were back at Eldorado's Food & Spirits on Sunday for the September car show at the restaurant.

The "Spotlight" car for this show was the Dodge Challenger. The Spotlight Award went to Jason Huff with a 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat.

This month's Larry Bickers Daily Driver Award went to Jesykah Catron's 2010 Chrysler 300S.

The 1936 Plymouth Coupe belonging to Rick and Danielle Grogan was selected Best of Show.

The Crossroads Events team will be back at Eldorado's for two more shows this season, October 8th and November 5th.

Springfield Swap Meet & Car Show:

I would be neglect if I didn't mention the Springfield Swap Meet and Car Show that took place this past weekend at the Clark County Fairgrounds.

The event was only two days (Friday - Saturday) instead of three as in past years. There is NO November Swap Meet and Car Show this year.

Jeff Shankle posted a bunch of photos to his Facebook page from the two-day swap meet. Here are the links to his photos. You'll need a Facebook account to see them.

Whew! Combine a long Holiday weekend, with beautiful weather, and tons of Central Ohio car events, and News and Notes turns into a small book.

A big thanks to the following people for sending photos and info about this past week's events:

  • Jeff Shankle
  • Dale Pearce
  • Dave Bratton
  • Chad Herrick
  • Frank Russell
  • Kevin Foust
  • Craig Grunkemeyer

I hope everyone has a good week! Stay safe. Look for a new list of Central Ohio car events and a News and Notes report next Monday.

[shortcode-weather-atlas city_selector=2374169 layout="horizontal" header="Central Ohio Forecast" background_color="#efefef" text_color="#336699" font_size="16px" style="font-family:Verdana, Geneva, "DejaVu Sans", sans-serif;" daily=5 current=0]