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Tag: friday night cruisin

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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.

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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.

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1957 Chevy 210 Wagon - Owner: Tom Kavanaugh

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NEWS AND NOTES

For those who may not know, George Burton passed away on September 6th. You may recognize him by his yellow Chevy SSR. He participated in lots of car shows around the area. George will be missed.

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

The Der Dutchman Cruise-In was back in the 300s on Thursday evening. Attendance hit 330 cars to be exact.

On Saturday morning, attendance at the Coffee and Donuts Cruise-In broke the 100 mark.

Wayne in the barn loft counting cars

When you allow yourself one cream-filled Long John donut per year, man do they taste extra good!

While the Coffee and Donuts cruise-in was going on, the C10 Club Ohio was having breakfast in the restaurant before embarking on its historic bridge cruise.

I managed to catch some of the C10s before they left the restaurant. Looked like they had a pretty good turnout for the cruise.

NAPA Friday Night Cruise-In:

Thanks to great weather, the Cruise-In at the NAPA store in Hilliard, Ohio had 60-plus cars roll through Friday evening.

The cars in attendance were a nice mix of classics, modern muscle, and imports.

I can't think of too many better ways to spend a Friday evening than hanging out with your car buddies.

Farrow's Hot Rods & Handlebars:

It was a wild scene Saturday evening at Farrow Harley-Davidson in Sunbury, Ohio. The Harley-Davidson dealership hosted its second Hot Rods and Handlebars event this season.

The band Phoenix Rising entertained the crowd with classic rock during the evening.

Food and refreshments were available from four food trucks located to the left of the stage. Plus there was a beer garden for adult beverages.

I can't give an exact number of cars and motorcycles that were in attendance since the window placards were not numbered. My best guess on the cars was somewhere around 130 to 150. All I can say about the number of motorcycles is there was a boatload of them.

If you wanted your motorcycle judged, there was a specified area you needed to park and register it. As for the cars, I have no idea how they judged them. The show officially started at 4 PM and all judging had to be completed by 5:30 PM. I spoke with someone who was at the show and he saw three people he assumed were judges doing a pretty fast walk by each car.

If your car was selected as a finalist for an award, this placard was placed on the windshield.

There were four awards for the motorcycles, 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, and Best of Show. There were a total of 10 awards for the cars. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for classic cars, modern cars (2000 and up), and Rabid's Choice plus a Best of Show

The Motorcycle Division winners:

3RD PLACE
2015 Harley Street Glide - Owner: Kibler
2ND PLACE
1974 Harley Super Glide - Owner: Martin Huedepohl
1ST PLACE
2011 Harley Road King - Owner: Antoine Davis
BEST OF SHOW
1967 Harley Electric Glide - Owner: Rufus Smith

The Car Division Winners:

3RD PLACE RABID'S PICK
1965 Chevy C-10 - Owner: Ron Kinder
2ND PLACE RABID'S PICK
1971 Chevy K5 Blazer - Owner: Mike Lowe
1ST PLACE RABID'S PICK
1932 Ford - Owner: Ed Parker
3RD PLACE MODERN
2023 Corvette - Owner: William Porter
2ND PLACE MODERN
2015 Ford RTR Mustang - Owner: Rob West
1ST PLACE MODERN
2019 Ford Shelby GT 350R - Owner: Tim McNelis
3RD PLACE CLASSICS
1963 Corvette - Owner: J. Profio
2ND PLACE CLASSICS
1968 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Scott Mayo
1ST PLACE CLASSICS
1969 Plymouth Roadrunner - Owner: Jason McKendrick
BEST OF SHOW
1937 Ford Roadster - Owner: John Fink

Motts Military "Driving for Daisy" Car Show:

Dan "Boots" Longenette and the Auto Smarts Radio Team were in Groveport, Ohio on Saturday hosting the annual car show at Motts Military Museum.

The show had over 100 cars in attendance.

Dale Pearce's 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup received the Manager's Pick.

Honor Flight's Pick went to Frank Deering and his 2000 Corvette.

Best of Show went to the 1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi owned by Jim Bickel.

First Church of God Fish Fry and Car Show:

The First Church of God in Circleville, Ohio hosted its annual Fish Fry and Car Show on Saturday. From what I understand, the fish sandwiches are pretty darn tasty.

This year the show registered 68 cars. There were 29 trophies presented at the end of the show. These included Top 20, Pastor's Choice, Roger Fortner Memorial, Six Top Class (Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc.), and Best of Show.

Here are the Top three award winners:

  • Roger Fortner Memorial - 1967 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Leonard Cross or Croft
  • Pastor's Choice - 2016 Ford Mustang GT 350 - Owner: William Thomaschek
  • Best of Show - 1950 Chevy Pickup - Owner: Charlie Benson

Here are some of the cars from the show:

Speak for the Unspoken Car Show:

The Mustang Club of Ohio hosted its second Speak for the Unspoken Car Show on Sunday. The show took place in Hilliard, Ohio.

Proceeds from the show went to Speak for the Unspoken which is a foster-based rescue group for dogs with special needs.

Once the roads dried from some early morning showers, the show registered around 160 vehicles.

One of the vehicles that was registered was the 1985 Chevy Astro Van named Blastro. Built with a supercharged big block Chevy engine rated at 2000 HP, the owner claims it to be the fastest van in the world.

At around 2 PM, everyone in attendance got a chance to hear what a 2000 HP supercharged Chevy big block sounds like.

The Mustang Club of Ohio presented trophies to the "Top 40" along with 14 "Special" awards, a Runner-Up Best of Show, and a Best of Show.

Here are the "Special" award winners:

BEST BIKE
1942 Harley-Davidson WLC - Owner: Valentin Mikichic
BEST INTERIOR
1964 Plymouth Belvedere Wagon - Owner: James Elsmore
BEST MOPAR
1965 Plymouth Barracuda - Owner: Rebecca Kerewsky
FIRST RESPONDER
1966 Ford Fairlane GTA - Owner: Greg Barcus
BEST TRUCK
1953 Chevy 3100 Pickup - Owner: Dean Maisenbacher
BEST FOREIGN/IMPORT
1993 Nissan Grand Turismo - Owner: Wende M
BEST MUSTANG
1970 Ford Mustang - Owner: Don Chambers
BEST DISPLAY
2008 VW Beetle - Owner: Tom Lawrence
PUPPY'S PICK
1969 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Dave Chase
BEST FORD
1955 F-100 Pickup - Owner: Mike Johnson
MOST ORGINAL
1969 Pontiac GTO - Owner: John Linton
BEST CHEVY
1955 Bel Air/Nomad - Owner: Michael Marzley
BEST PAINT
1967 Corvette - Owner: Craig Grunkemeyer
2023 Jeep Todler Car - Owner: Charlie Bates

Runner-Up Best of Show went to Dan Gifford with a 1972 Oldsmobile 442 convertible.

Pete Lieb's 1962 Chevy Bel Air 409 received the Best of Show award.

Millersport Lions Club Car, Truck, & Bike Show:

The Millersport, Ohio Lions Club with the help of the Crossroads Events crew hosted a car, truck, and bike show on Sunday.

This show's "Spotlight" winner was Rick and Danielle Grogan and their 1936 Plymouth Coupe Hot Rod.

Nick Bradley's 1966 Dodge Coronet which was owned by his father and sat in a barn for 23 years received the Larry Bickers Daily Driver award.

The Best in Show winner was Jeff Wickham with his 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo SS.

Other Area Shows:

  • Coughlin Chevrolet in Pataskala, Ohio held its 16th Annual Car Show on Saturday. The show had 312+ cars in attendance. Lots of Corvettes. The show included free registration, free t-shirts, and a free lunch of hot dogs and chips. Coughlin presented awards to the Top 100 cars. There was no best-of-show award.
  • The Mid Ohio Cruisers Car Club hosted its September car show at the Burger King in Marysville, Ohio on Saturday evening. There were around 50 cars in attendance. Our friend, Kenny G., picked up a "Favorite 15" award for his 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat.

  • Despite some early morning rain, the Toy Barn in Dublin, Ohio had another packed house of cars and spectators for its fall car show on Sunday morning.

That's it for this week's News and Notes.

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

  • Jeff Shankle
  • Dave Bratton
  • Dale Pearce
  • Craig Grunkemeyer
  • Frank Russel
  • Kenny G.
  • Tim Davidheiser

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.

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1964 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - Owner: Jeff Tolley

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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.

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

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.

DJ's CHOICE
1960 Studebark Lark with Supercharger
Owner: Gary & Greg Allwine
MOST PATRIOTIC
2000 Chevy Corvette
Owner: Frank Deering
POST PICK
1957 Chevy Bel Air
Owner: Jim Loftus
SPONSOR's CHOICE
1966 Volkswagon Bus
Owner: B. Knoll
Click or tap on a photo to enlarge it and enter slideshow mode

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

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

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:

1967 Chevy Chevelle SS
Owner: Russ Annis
1969 Chevy Camaro Z/28
Owner: Janice Claypool
1953 Ford Customline
Owner: Josh B
1967 Pontiac Grand Prix
Owner: Ron Houser
1950 Ford Tudor Sedan
Owner: Jimmy Carmean
1955 Ford F100
Owner: Mark Wert
1985 Chevy El Camino SS
Owner: Brenda Collins
1952 Chevy Suburban
Owner: Dallas Behrens
1950 Ford F1
Owner: Ron Griffith
1936 Dodge Sedan
Owner: Rex Dillon
1949 Dodge Cornet Owner: Steve Wilcox
1998 Chevy S10
Owner: Mark Guthrie
1979 Chevy Malibu
Owner: Brandon Van Meter
1939 Chevy Master 85
Owner: Jim Shaw
1956 Chevy 210
Owner: Josh Skedell
Click or tap on a photo to enlarge it and enter slideshow mode

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. Congratulations 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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