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Published on Leave a comment on Central Ohio Car and Bike Events for July 13 – 19, 2026
1972 Buick Riviera - Owner: Ed Matthews

** The Arthritis Charity Auto Show in Dublin, Ohio is on for Saturday **

It’s another full week of Central Ohio car and motorcycle events. The marquee event this week is the 43rd Annual Arthritis Foundation Charity Auto Show on Friday and Saturday in Dublin. If you’re looking for what just might be the best bologna sandwich in the country, check out the Waldo Tire Summerfest Car, Truck & Bike Show. And if neither of those floats your boat, there are plenty of other events to choose from.

Monday (June 13th):

Tuesday (July 14th):

Wednesday (July 15th):

Thursday (July 16th):

Friday (July 17th):

Saturday (July 18th):

Sunday (July 19th):

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:

What a difference 10 degrees can make. With Thursday evening temperatures in the mid-80s instead of the mid-90s, attendance jumped from 162 vehicles last week to 295 this week. Even with the cooler weather, people were still looking for any patch of shade they could find—even if it was next to a porta-potty.

As always, the variety of vehicles on display was outstanding. From a Ford GT to an Ineos Grenadier powered by a 3.0-liter BMW engine, there was something for everyone to enjoy. Here are the combined photos from Jeff Shankle, Tom Lawrence, and me from the evening.

Picktown Palooza Car, Truck, & Bike Show:

Even with Goodguys being the main attraction this weekend, there were still plenty of car and motorcycle events taking place around Central Ohio. One of those was the Picktown Palooza Car, Truck & Bike Show, part of the annual Pickerington Picktown Palooza Festival. Hosted by the Rusty Lug Nutz, the show was held in the parking lot at Pickerington Central High School.

There were 95 full-size vehicles in attendance. Add in the 10 pedal cars, and the total came to 105 entries.

The show featured impressive 3-foot trophies for the Top 30, along with 10 Special Awards: Best Chevy, Best Ford, Best Motorcycle, Best Mopar, Best Truck, Best 2000 & Newer, Best Project, Sponsor’s Choice, and Best of Show. The pedal cars also had two awards of their own.

Jim McGruder served as the DJ and once again did an outstanding job spinning the tunes and keeping everyone informed with announcements throughout the day.

The trophy for the Pedal Car Champion was just about as tall as the young winner.

Here are the cars and motorcycles that received the Special Awards.

  • SPONSORS CHOICE: 1958 Chevy Impala - Dr Ron Rogers
  • BEST 2000 and NEWER: 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing - Kim Hawksworth
  • BEST PROJECT: Wood Brat Rod - Bentley & Bexley Wilson
  • BEST MOPAR: 1960 Chrysler 300 F - Neal Thomas
  • BEST CHEVY: 1967 Camaro RS - Paula & Bobby Wong
  • BEST IMPORT: Porsche 928 S4 - Joel Roberts
  • BEST FORD: 1966 Ford Mustang - Kathy Hanning & Tom Hatfield
  • BEST TRUCK: 1956 Ford F100 - Bob & Mindy Conrad
  • BEST BIKE: 1945 Famous James Military Motorcycle - Steve Elam

Hi-Way Starz members hauling home some hardware.

The show's Top Award went to Ted Tickle's 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7.

After last Saturday’s excitement at the American Legion Fourth of July Car Show, it was a little anticlimactic when this week’s show got underway without a parade of police cruisers rushing into the parking lot. Fortunately, the arrival of an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser added just enough excitement to keep the streak alive.

Congratulations to the Rusty Lug Nutz for putting together a very good car show. Now if they could have just controlled the rain, it would have been just about perfect.

CONTINUE READING

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The 2025 Central Ohio Car Show Season brought another year of strong turnouts, great events, and memorable moments across the area. Here’s a look back at the highlights, stats, and stories that defined the season.
Published on 14 Comments on 2025 Central Ohio Car Show Season Recap

It’s that time of year again — the last trophies have been handed out, the lawn chairs and tents folded, and most cruisers have put their cars away in anticipation of another Ohio winter. As the temperatures drop and the show fields go quiet, it’s the perfect moment to pause and look back at the Central Ohio car show season that just wrapped up.

Before I dive in, a quick disclaimer: these opinions are entirely my own, based on the events I attended and the vehicles I personally saw. Agree, disagree, or have your own take? Drop it in the comments — I’d love to hear it.

This Year's Stats

Coverage Area: Marion (N), Springfield (W), Chillicothe (S), Newark (E)

Total Events Listed: 1,088 (slightly down from 1,133 in 2024
The drop in total events this year was mainly due to the loss of 40–45 Crossroads events after Frank Russell retired — but there were still plenty of great shows to choose from across Central Ohio.

Busiest Months

  • August — 216 events - a new champ, knocking July off its two-year streak.
  • June — 202
  • July — 161

Busiest Week: June 9–15 (57 events)

Busiest Day: Saturday, June 14 (32 events)

Photos Taken

  • 9,000+ of my own
  • 6,000+ from emails/texts/Facebook

I’m pretty sure I could identify your ride in a police lineup—just don’t ask me to remember your license plate!

Featured Cars at the Start of Each Post: 33

  • Oldest: two 1941 Fords
  • Newest: 2018 Camaro 2SS

Event Recaps Posted: 269
Community Contributors: 44 — THANK YOU!

Website Stats

  • Visitors from January to now: ~90,000 (up 11%)
  • Page Views: 195,000 (up 9%)
  • Subscribers: 770

Participation Award

Just like last year, I managed to hit 92 car events and one bike event this season. Some folks might think that’s a lot — at least until they hear how many events Jeff Tolley and Dave O’Brien have shown up to. As of November 11th, both of them have logged over 210 events. I even saw on Facebook that they went to a cruise-in at a parking garage in Newark this past Saturday. At this point, I’m convinced they’ve either cloned themselves or outsourced their yard work entirely, because there’s no way they’re mowing grass and doing yard work like the rest of us mere mortals.

Without question, Photographer of the Year goes to Jeff Shankle. No one takes more car photos during the season than Jeff. When he shows up to the big events like Goodguys, James Dean, or the Pumpkin Run, you can count on 3,000-plus photos waiting for you to scroll through afterward.

Honorable Mention Photographer this year goes to Bubba Hettinger. When Bubba attends a show, you can pretty much guarantee he’ll photograph every car, truck, and bike — and probably a few other things that catch his eye at the event.

CONTINUE READING THE RECAP

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Published on 1 Comment on Central Ohio Car and Bike Events for July 14th thru July 20th, 2025
1970 Chevy Nova SS - Owner: Scott Louck

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NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Scattered afternoon thundershowers put a damper on Thursday’s cruise-in, with attendance topping out at around 149 cars.

Creative Auto Group/Advance Auto Parts Car Show:

The Creative Auto Group held its monthly car show on Friday evening at the Advance Auto Parts store in Marysville, Ohio. Despite a modest turnout of 12 registered vehicles, the event delivered plenty of classic charm and community spirit.

The 50/50 raffle raised $50 for the local food pantry—thanks to the generosity of Rex Dillon, who donated his winning half of the pot back to the cause.

Award honors went to two standout entries:

Bruce Pawley with a 1967 Chevy Camaro RS

Gary McDowel with his 1967 Chevy Chevelle

Next month's show will on Friday, August 8th.

Destination Outlets Cars & Coffee:

Despite the heat, Cars & Coffee at Destination Outlets drew Over 15 vehicles Saturday morning. There was everything from classic muscle to modern performance on display.

Attendees were treated to free coffee courtesy of The Bear Den storefront inside the mall, helping keep the energy up even as temperatures climbed. The event continues to grow in both size and variety, thanks to strong support from area enthusiasts.

This month’s gathering saw members of both the Greater Dayton Corvette Club and Lancaster Corvette Club in attendance, as well as a good turnout from local regulars. A special surprise came in the form of a Hoonigan-branded ride, adding a little extra edge to the mix.

Cars & Coffee at Destination Outlets is held every 2nd Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. — the next one will be Saturday August 9th.

READ THE REST OF NEWS AND NOTES

14

Published on 14 Comments on 2024 Central Ohio Car Show Season Recap

The last car shows of 2024 have concluded. Sadly, the time has arrived to put the cars away for another Ohio winter before the salt hits the road. Now seems a good time to look back and reminisce about the wonderful car show season that just finished.

Before I start, I must state the usual disclaimer. The opinions expressed in the following paragraphs are mine. They are from the events I attended and the vehicles l saw. If you agree or disagree with anything I've written, please feel free to post in the comment section. I'd love to know your thoughts.

The Stats:

Let's start with some stats. As a reminder, the area covered by carshowtalk.com is bordered by Marion (north), Springfield (west), Chillicothe (south), and Newark (east). Any car event scheduled in a box bounded by those cities is listed. A few events beyond those boundaries are sometimes listed when there is enough interest from the community.

I get asked all the time to list events beyond Central Ohio but I respectfully decline for the primary reason that it's a full-time job keeping up with what's going on in Central Ohio let alone the rest of the state.

Okay, back to the stats:

  • From January through November, there were a total of 1111 car shows, cruise-ins, meet-ups, swap meets, and bike events listed on carshowtalk.com. Now you know why I hesitate to go beyond Central Ohio. No one should have had a problem finding a car show or cruise-in to attend this season.
  • For the second year, July had the most events with 212.
  • The week with the highest number of events was July 15 - 24 with 54. Interestingly, this was the week after Goodguys.
  • The 29 events on Saturday, August 24th were the most for a single day.
  • I took more than 10,000 photos of your cars and window placards.
  • 37 cars and trucks were highlighted at the top of each week's post.
  • I'd like to thank all the volunteers who sent photos and info from events they attended that I didn't. Reports from 269 events were posted on the website this year.

Participation Award:

I participated in 92 events which took me to 25 different Central Ohio communities. Most people might be impressed with that number but it's nowhere close to the number of events Jeff Tolley and Dave O'Brien have gone to this season. As of November 11th, both had been to 222 car shows and cruise-ins with more to add as long as the weather cooperates. I don't think anyone comes close to those numbers!

Car Shows, Cruise-Ins, Meet-Ups:

I think everyone will agree It was an unusually hot and dry summer. Here's a good example of how dry it was. Der Dutchman had six rainouts in 2023. This year there was only one. There were 36 days this year when the temperature reached 90 degrees or higher. That compares to only 9 days in 2023.

Registration fees stayed in line with 2023. The average fee was $15 with some shows still only charging $10. And yes, there were some shows with $20 or higher registration fees.

I attended a lot of good events this year. However, I can't say there was one that stood out above the rest. But I did have a few favorites:

Let's start with:

  • Plain City Der Dutchman Weekly Cruise-in - In my opinion, there is no better way to spend a Thursday evening if you're a car person. This year the average attendance was 305 cars per week. There were 375 first-time participants in 2024. You just never know what unique or unusual vehicle might show up on Thursday.
  • Rodgers Garage Memorial Day Car Meet - This year was the first time attending the Rogers Garage Memorial Day Car Meet in Johnstown, Ohio. I was surprised at the extravaganza Rogers Garage put on. There were door prizes, food trucks, bounce houses, and lots of cars. According to Rogers, they had more than 400 cars attend the meet.
  • Triple F Event IV - If you're into multi-million dollar high-performance exotic cars, then the Kasich Building at the Ohio Expo Center on June 23rd was the place to be. The Triple F Collection held its fourth consecutive Event that day. The Event has grown so big it has moved from its original location at Mercedes-Benz of Easton to the Expo Center. Hundreds of spectators gathered in the Kasich Building to see cars from manufacturers such as Koenigsegg, Pagani, Bugatti, Ferrari, McLaren, and Lamborghini. There were no cars roped off or "Do Not Touch" signs. Spectators were able to get up close to these multi-million dollar cars and even sit in them. It was amazing to see what money can buy. Outside a large crowd had gathered around a Lamborghini Aventador about to do some engine revs. The look on that young girl's face in the photo below tells you all you need to know about The Event. All the money raised went to the Make-A-Wish Foundations in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
  • Vettes, Rods, & Classics - If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know the Vettes, Rods, & Classics Car Show at Creekside in Gahanna, Ohio consistently gets high praise from me. The Capital City Corvette Club does a great job hosting this show every year. It's well organized. A cool venue. There isn't a better band to listen to than Realin' In The Years. I like that there are separate awards and Best of Show winners for the rods/classics and the Corvettes. This year the club made the smart decision to move the show from Saturday to Sunday thanks to a forecast of rain on Saturday. It resulted in registering 230 cars. Dale Pearce showed what a big heart he has by donating his half of the 50/50 drawing ($440) back to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Way to go Dale!
  • Corvette Gathering XIX - If you're a Corvette enthusiast, what's not to like about a big ALL Corvette cruise-in at a historic downtown location? The Ohio Corvette Club Alliance hosted its 19th annual Corvette Gathering in historic downtown Lancaster, Ohio on September 8th. With just about perfect weather (light jacket in the morning, shorts and t-shirt by noon) this year's Gathering drew well over 400 Corvettes. Everyone who registered received a commemorative item. There were door prizes, a silent auction, 50/50 raffles, a DJ, and food trucks. What else could you ask for? As long as I own a Corvette, this event will get marked on my calendar every season.
  • Speak for the Unspoken Car Show - No one worked harder this year to promote a car show than Phil Spangler. It seems like every car show I attended Phil was there passing out flyers. It paid off as the show registered 181 cars. Only the "free" Coughlin Pataskala Car Show had more cars that weekend. There were some unusual behind-the-scenes activities pre-show. It started with Arch Mayer asking me in late July if I was going to the Speak for the Unspoken Show. I was noncommittal at the time. That was too far in the future for me to make a decision. Arch said Phil was going to do some special things at the show and wanted social media coverage and recommended I cover it. I told him if I go, I will do a report. Oddly, Arch asked me again in the middle of August if I was going to the show. He says Phil needs to know because if I'm not going he'll need to make other arrangements for someone to cover the show. Impressed that Phil wanted me to report on his show, I finally told Arch I was going. I went to the show with full intentions of doing a detailed report without any clue that I would be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for my contribution to the Central Ohio car community. What an absolute shock and honor it was to receive the award. As I've said many times, I couldn't do half of it without the support from the community. So yes, for me, The Speak for Unspoken was absolutely one of my favorite shows this year.
  • Crossroads Car, Truck, & Bike Show at Wings & Rings - Any show that selects your car for Best in Show has to be a favorite. So for me, the second biggest surprise of the season was winning the Best in Show Award at the October Wings & Rings show in Lewis Center, Ohio with my Corvette. The funny thing is I was ready to follow the Best in Show winner out to their car to take a photo when Frank Russell called my name. Thank goodness Lynn Russell and Doug Glassburn were around to take photos of me and my car. I wasn't sure how I was going to take a selfie and get both the car and me in the photo. My arms aren't long enough.😎
  • American Legion Southway Post #144 Trunk-n-Treat Car Show - I'm not sure what it was -- maybe missing the Empty Pockets Trunk or Treat Show this year -- but I enjoyed the C-Town Cruisers Trunk-n-Treat Show at the American Legion Southway Post. Everyone in attendance seemed to be in a good mood and the Halloween Spirit. From Jeff Tolley 1 & 2 to the lady who tried to win the Best Decorated Pet trophy, I don't think I've laughed that much at a car show.
  • Miller's Fall Swap Meet & Car Show - This was my second year participating in the Fall Miller's Swap Meet & Car Show. I've got to say it is well worth the hour-plus drive from Columbus to Chillicothe. I like how the cars are grouped into model years - 87 and older and 88 and newer. This allows a wide range of cars to participate for an award. It's probably why 206 cars registered at this year's show. I also like how the cars are divided into classes for the "Special" Awards (Best GM, Best Ford, Best Street Rod, etc). The car show is well organized and the judging is done by "car people". The organizers make it a point not to have the same judges every year. It's a well-done car show with a nice size swap meet to go with it.

Shout Out to Our Local Event Organizers/Promoters

I'd like to take a moment to give a big round of applause to Dan "Boots" Longenette and the Auto Smarts Cruise and Ride Tour, Shaun, "Big Dawg", Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers, and Frank and Lynn Russell and the Crossroads Events team. The three groups combined to host 89 car shows in Central Ohio this season! We all know how hard it is to put on one show let alone multiple shows and travel all over the area to do it. Hats off to these three groups. We are truly blessed to have them as part of the Central Ohio car community.

Every season we lose a few shows and add a few shows to the schedule. Some that weren't on the schedule this year were the Columbus, Cars, and Coffee Arena District meet (one of my favorites), the Tolles Technical Center Car & Craft Show, North Hills Church of God Car Show, and Farrow's Hot Rods & Handlebars. First-time shows included the Tom Rogers Legacy Car Show, Goovy's Cruise-In/CarShow, Licking County Regional Airport Wings & Wheels, Ford vs Ferrari, and the Hi-Way Starz Spectrum Support Car Show just to name a few.

READ THE REST OF THE 2024 RECAP

Published on
1970 Chevy C10 Pickup - Owner: Dave Anders

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NEWS AND NOTES

Unsurprisingly, this week's news and notes have a lot of Goodguys-related content.

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Goodguys had a lot of people's attention on Thursday. As a result, attendance was a little down this week at exactly 200 cars.

Creative Auto Group/Advanced Auto Parts Car Show:

Jeff Shankle and the Advanced Auto Parts Store in Marysville, Ohio held their July car show Friday evening. There were 13 cars in attendance. The show raised $89 for the Milford Center Food Pantry at the Trinity Church.

The Advanced Auto Parts store manager picks this month were Ron Griffith with a 1965 Ford Falcon, Ray Leopard with a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass, and yours truly with a 2021 Corvette.

1965 Ford Falcon - Owner: Ron Griffith
2021 Corvette - Owner: K. Hawksworth
1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass - Owner: Ray Leopard

Columbus Cars & Coffee at The City Apartments:

I made my first visit of the season to Columbus Cars & Coffee at the City Apartments on Saturday Morning. By 10 AM there were 80 plus cars in attendance.

The "unofficial" featured car of the morning was the Chevy Chevette. There was a half-dozen of them parked together.

Here are some of the other cars from the morning cars & coffee:

Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals:

Following some pre-show controversy over the construction taking place at the Ohio Expo Center, the three-day event went off without a hitch. The only minor complaint was a little more dust on the cars than in previous years.

Unofficial attendance figures had 4600-plus cars on Friday and just over 6200 cars on Saturday.

The After Parties:

I made my annual Saturday visit to the Goodguys After Parties. The first visit was to the Hilton Polaris Hotel. It was the usual low-key event it has been in past years. Lots of people hanging out and relaxing.

Next was a drive across the street to Quaker Steak & Lube to catch a few burnouts. The black Pontiac was the clear winner of the ones I saw. The burnout from the white Toyota was a little weak.

The final stop was the Crowne Plaza. There were Lots of people, lots of cars, live music, and a food buffet. Hands down the biggest party of the evening.

Here's a little slide show of the festivities from the evening:

CONTINUE READING THE REST OF NEWS & NOTES

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Published on 13 Comments on 2023 Central Ohio Car Show Season in Review
1977 Ford Bronco - Owner: Tera Womack

Another Central Ohio car show season has come to an end. As we put the cars away until next spring, it's time to look back at the memories that were made during the season that just ended.

As always, I must state the usual disclaimer. The opinions expressed in the following paragraphs are mine. They are from the events I attended and the vehicles l saw. If you agree or disagree with anything I've written, please free to post in the comment section. I'd love to know your thoughts.

THE STATS:

Okay, let's start off with some statistics about this past season.

  • From January through November, there were 1108 Central Ohio car events posted to carshowtalk.com. Clearly enough to keep anyone that loves cars very, very busy.
  • The month with the most events was July with 222.
  • The month with the least events was November with 16. No surprise there.
  • The week with the most events was August 14 -20 with 56.
  • There was a new post on carshowtalk.com 36 out of 52 weeks this year. Yes, the website kept me pretty busy.
  • There were reports or mentions on 274 of the 1108 events listed on carshowtalk.com.

PARTICIPATION AWARD:

I participated in 89 events in Ohio this year and I was a spectator at another four. This pales in comparison to the number of events these three Central Ohio cruisers participated in.

Jeff Shankle made it to 160 events breaking his personal best. Jeff Tolley did 240 car shows, cruise-ins, and swap meets. Dave O'Brien did a few more at 243 and says he still has some more to attend.

Left to Right: Dave O'Brien, Jeff Tolley, Jeff Shankle

I'm pretty confident no one else attended more events this year than those three. For Dave O'Brien and Jeff Tolley, it was almost a car show or cruise-ins every day.

CAR SHOWS, CRUISE-INS, MEET-UPS

Of all the car shows, cruise-ins, and meet-ups I attended this season, One stands out far above the rest. It was the Der Dutchman Cruise-in on June 8th celebrating the life of the late Luella Nisly, wife of Wayne Nisly.

That Thursday evening 617 cars and close to 1000 people were in attendance. The support from the Central Ohio car community for Wayne, Luella, and the cruise-in was amazing. Looking back at the crowd of people during the raffle drawing gave me goosebumps. It will be a cruise-in I will never forget.

Continuing with Der Dutchman, twice this year heavy rains overnight caused either cancellation of the cruise-in or partial closer of the main field because of standing water. This is the first time in the twelve-year history of the cruise-in that happened.

The Capital City Corvette Club's annual Vettes, Rods, and Classics in Gahanna, Ohio continues to be one of my top shows in the area. The Creekside District makes a great venue for a car show. Sprinkle in some "live" entertainment from the band Reeling in the Years. Then add in lots of community support, a great cause, and beautiful Corvettes and classic cars and you've got all the ingredients for a successful car show.

The Rod Knockers Car Club out of Marion, Ohio still managed to put on the best no-registration fee monthly car show in the area. The club did this despite a change in management at the Rural King which wasn't particularly car show friendly.

Sadly, the club announced after the last show in October that it had decided to take some time off to re-evaluate its direction moving forward. This means no more monthly car shows at the Rural King in Marion for the foreseeable future. These monthly shows will definitely be missed by a lot of folks in 2024.

Organized and promoted by Glayton Noggle, the Friday evening River Pop-up meets at Griggs Reservoir in Upper Arlington, Ohio turned out to be very popular by season's end. Clayton's military background made sure everyone followed the rules and it resulted in more people feeling comfortable enough to participate in the meet-ups. Attendance at the August 25th meet-up was estimated to be between 200 - 250 cars. Very impressive for a meet-up.

It's easy to take for granted Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals since it comes to town every year (2020 being the one exception). We are truly blessed to have an event like this in our backyard every July.

For anyone who loves cars, the show and the after-hours parties at the Crown Plaza and Polaris Hilton are like a kid in a candy store.

When it came to Goodguys Awards, Central Ohio was well represented this year.

Looking back, I participated in 14 events this year for the very first time. The one that stands out from the group is the Antique Car Show and Petroliana Swap on Memorial Day in Mt Victory, Ohio.

Cars parked all over people's lawns are something you don't see at many cruise-ins. Factor in the opportunity to view the oil and gas memorabilia in the outbuildings on Don Houchin's property and you soon realize the Mt Victory event is rather unique. I plan to go back next year.

Events that were my favorites in previous years, continued to be favorites again this year.

There's just something special about the cars, the crowd, and the venue that makes Columbus Cars and Coffee Arena District Meet something special.

If you own a Corvette or are into Corvettes, The Ohio Corvette Club Alliance Corvette Gathering in downtown Lancaster, Ohio is one of those events you definitely need to attend. It's essentially a BIG Cruise-in for Corvettes. This year the Gathering registered more than 400 Corvettes.

In July, the Toy Barn in Dublin, Ohio started hosting weekly meet-ups at the dealership. Each meet-up featured a different vehicle. One week it was All American Cars and Trucks. The next week it was BMW Night. After that it was Bourbon and Exotics, then Viper Night -- you get the picture.

I attended two of the meet-ups -- the All American Cars and Trucks and Corvette Night. Corvette Night turned out to be one of the most enjoyable events I did in 2023. I hung out that evening with Arch Mayer and Greg Hopkins, enjoyed a cold beer, and saw some beautiful Corvettes. Doesn't get much better than that in my book.

...continue reading "2023 Central Ohio Car Show Season in Review"

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Published on 2 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows, Cruise-Ins, and Meet-ups for July 10 – 16, 2023
1973 Ford Mustang (Home built and Painted) - Owner: Kim Rodgers

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NEWS AND NOTES

Fourth of July Car Shows:

  • Champaign Cruiser's Firecracker Car, Truck, & Bike Show - The Champaign Cruiser's Car Club hosted its 25th annual Firecracker Car Show at Skelley Lumber Company in Urbana, Ohio. The show registered 677 cars this year. The Best of Show award went to Scott Trogolo and his 1948 Buick Road Master.
  • Union County Fairgrounds Annual Fourth of July Show - The annual Fourth of July car show at the Union County Fairgrounds in Marysville, Ohio registered 50 cars. The event advertised 25 awards but only presented 15. Thanks to some very wet spots from heavy rains on Sunday, one participant spent a good part of the show cleaning mud off his car. Kevin Foust and his 1940 Dodge WC40 Military Pickup received Best of Show.
  • VFW Post 8794 After the Parade Car Show - Our friend, Kenny G, received the Most Patriotic Award at the Whitehall, Ohio VFW Post 8794 After the Parade Car Show hosted by the C-Town Cruisers.

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

The Der Dutchman Cruise-In was canceled this past Thursday because the field was extremely wet from heavy rains earlier in the week. Hopefully, things will dry out and the cruise-in will be back this week.

Chesrown Class Car Cruise-In:

The rain cleared out Thursday evening just in time for the 9th Annual Classic Car Cruise-In at Chesrown Chevrolet Buick GMC in Delaware, Ohio.

Miss Ohio was there admiring all the cars.

Anyone hungry or thirsty could purchase food and refreshment from Graeter's Ice Cream, Dos Hermanos, and Slap Yo Self food trucks.

Just as in past years, the band Conspiracy provided live entertainment.

As for the cars, there didn't seem to be as many this year. I think the weather forecast might have had something to do with it and the fact that the cruise-in was announced later than usual. Still, there were well over 100 cars in attendance and of course lots of spectators.

Toy Barn American Car and Bike Event:

This past Friday, the Toy Barn in Dublin, Ohio started a weekly series of meets-ups at the dealership. The series will run through September 2nd. Each week will be a different category of cars. This week was American Cars and Bikes. Next week will be BMW Night. You can register for any of the series here.

Approximately 20-25 cars turned out for the American Car and Bike event. As you might expect, most were late-model Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. A few older classic American cars did stop by. Somehow a couple of McLarens turned up in the mix.

The coolest vehicle at the meet-up was a 2022 RAM TRX pickup with a supercharged, Hemi engine and the entire body covered in Rhino lining. How much fun would that be to pick up a load of mulch or a few 2x4s in a 707 HP pickup?

Here are more cars from the Toy Barn American Car and Bike meet-up:

Chubby Hawaiian Grill Car, Truck, & Bike Show:

Frank Russell and the Crossroads Events team were in Baltimore, Ohio on Saturday for a car show hosted by Chubby Hawaiian Grill.

The show registered 58 cars. Thanks to a line of showers moving through the area, the 35 awards were presented early so everyone could get home before the rain.

The Larry Bickers Daily Driver award went to Bubba Hettinger and his 1978 Chevy K10 Stepside.

Derek Hayes and his 1983 Zimmer Gold Spirit took home the Best of Show honors.

Goodguys After-Hours Parties:

I spent a few hours Saturday evening hopping back and forth between the Goodguys after-hours parties at the Crown Plaza and Polaris Hilton hotels. This year I even managed to get a little closer to the burnouts at Quaker Steak and Lube. It looked like a third of the Columbus Police Force was at the restaurant monitoring the action.

I put together a small slideshow from the photos I took at the festivities.

Lewis Center Wings and Rings Car, Truck, & Bike Show:

On Sunday, the Crossroads Events team traveled 45 miles north from Baltimore to Lewis Center, Ohio for the monthly show at the Wings & Rings Sports Bar.

This month the show registered 45 vehicles.

The Larry Bickers Daily Driver award went to Pauline Robson with a 2018 Dodge Challenger R/T Plus.

The manager of Wings & Rings selected David Elliott's 1957 Chevy Bel Air as Best of Show.

Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals:

Another Goodguys is in the books. The Central Ohio car community is very lucky to have an event like this in our backyard. There are only three Goodguys events east of the Mississippi River. These take place in Raleigh, NC, Lebanon, TN, and Columbus, OH.

Congratulations to Arch Mayer, Clayton Noggle, and Tony Oliver. All three of their cars received Goodguys All-American Sunday awards.

I was able to recognize the cars of a few more local Goodguys Award winners.

I want to thank everyone who sent me Goodguys photos or tagged me on Facebook. I went through more than 1000 photos and picked the ones that I thought best illustrated what Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals weekend is all about. Hope you enjoy it!

These folks helped put together this week's News and Notes:

  • Jeff Shankle
  • Chad Herrick
  • Dave Bratton
  • Phil Monroe
  • Frank Russell
  • Kenny G
  • Arch Mayer
  • Russ Annis

A big thanks to every one of them for their contribution.

I hope everyone has a good week! I'll see you next week with a new report.

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Published on 6 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows, Cruise-Ins, And Meet-ups for July 11 – 17, 2022
1963 Plymouth Fury Convertible
Owner: Dave Taylor

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NEWS AND NOTES

Fair warning, the focus of this week's news and notes is Goodguys and Goodguys-related events. Everyone I know was at Goodguys at least one day this past weekend including myself.

Classic Car Cruise-In at Chesrown:

The only non-Goodguys event to report on this week is the Classic Car Cruise-In at Chesrown Chevrolet, Buick, GMC in Delaware, Ohio.

It was a packed house at the dealership on Thursday evening. Parking spots were at a premium.

There were food trucks, live music from The Conspiracy Band, prizes, and lots of great-looking cars.

I finally got to see Dan Varner's pristine, and I mean pristine, 1991 Camaro Z/28 1LE.

A rare one-of-a-kind El Camaro made an appearance at the cruise-in.

For more photos from the Chesrown Cruise-In, CLICK HERE.

Goodguys, Goodguys, and more Goodguys:

Here are some local highlights from this year's Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio.

  • Dan "Boots" Longenette from Auto Smarts Radio won the burnout contest on Saturday.
  • Over the four day event, Jeff Shankle took 1500 photos on his phone -- half of them selfies. 😎
  • Reported attendance on Saturday approached the 40,000 mark. I heard it was wall-to-wall people.
  • My 2017 Camaro ZL1 received an All American Sunday award.
  • Somewhere in the neighborhood of 4500 vehicles registered for the four day event.

Saturday Evening at the Crown Plaza, Polaris Hilton, and Quaker Steak and Lube:

I have always wanted to check out the after-show events at the host hotels but never got around to it until this year.

I stopped by the Crown Plaza first. There was already a pretty good size crowd of people and cars when I got there at 5:30 pm Saturday evening.

There was a food buffet, live music, adult beverages, and nice weather. All the right ingredients for a good party.

Next, it was on to the Polaris Hilton. A much smaller crowd and a bit low-key compared to the Crown Plaza. Still, some very nice cars in the parking lot.

It turns out rubber burning is all it took to make Quaker Steak and Lube the craziest venue of them all. It had traffic backed up on Polaris Parkway in both directions. Columbus police eventually had to close down Lyra Drive into the restaurant because of the excess traffic. I heard it was a two and half hour wait for a table. A lot of people parked at the Hilton and then tried to cross Polaris Parkway (not a very safe move). Needless to say, I didn't even attempt to make it to Quaker Steak and Lube.

If you'd like to see more photos from the Crown Plaza and Polaris Hilton, CLICK HERE.

Back to Goodguys:

I'm going to finish out this week's report with a few of the cars that received awards at Goodguys. You can CLICK HERE to see a bunch more automobiles (warning pic heavy) from the event.

Special thanks to Jeff Shankle for sharing some of his 1500 photos for this report.

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Published on
1969 Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible
Owner: Dave Erickson

It's the Big One! It's Goodguys week! I thought it was going to be canceled again this year when the Governor closed the Ohio State Fair to the public. Just goes to show what I know. I guess cars trump cows, horses, and pigs.

The Crowne Plaza Columbus North-Worthington and Hilton Polaris are the host hotels so expect a lot of action at these locations after show hours.

Even if you're not planning on attending Goodguys, there are still plenty of Central Ohio events to choose from this week.

NEWS AND NOTES:

Der Dutchman:

With the threat of rain Thursday evening, only 114 cars showed up at the Der Dutchman Cruise-In in Plain City, Ohio. There was no food service. If you wanted something to eat you had to go into the restaurant. I don't know for sure but possibly management didn't think it was cost-effective to send out food and servers for only 100 cars. Something to watch out for as the season progresses. On the bright side, everyone who attended the cruise-in on Thursday was offered a free cup of ice cream to make up for the lack of food service.

Delaware First Friday:

Again this month, the organizers of First Friday in downtown Delaware, Ohio closed off a block of Sandusky Street just south of East William Street (Rt 36) for classic cars. About 50 cars participated in the event on Friday. You couldn't ask for a better evening of weather.

4th of July Show at Tony's Bar & Grille

Sixty-Four cars celebrated the 4th of July at Tony's Bar & Grille Friday evening in London, Ohio.

Our good friend, Russ Annis, took Best of Show honors with his 1967 Chevy Chevelle.

For more photos from the 4th of July Show at Tony's, click here.

Rod Knockers July Show - Marion, Ohio

The Rod Knocker's July show in Marion, Ohio registered 104 cars Saturday evening. It turned out to be a good evening for the Longenette vehicles. Stacie's 1948 Chevy pickup received a Top 25 award and Boots' Badd '57 Chevy was this month's Club's Pick.

To see more cars from the Rod Knockers show, click here.

Ye Olde Mill Rod Run - Utica, Ohio

The Newark Rodders Car Club held their annual Ye Olde Mill Rod Run on Saturday at the Velvet Ice Ye Olde Mill in Utica, Ohio. The club registered 103 cars. Click here for photos from the show.

Champaign Cruisers Firecracker July 4th Show - Urbana Ohio

As I mentioned last week, the biggest show of the weekend was going to be the Champaign Cruisers' Firecracker July 4th Show at Skelley Lumber Company in Urbana, Ohio. Not only was it the biggest show of the weekend, but it also set a new attendance record with 677 cars!

The Best of Show Award went to Dennis Miller with a 1937 Chevy Sedan.

Here are a few more cars from the Firecracker Show.

Special thanks this week to Jeff, Dave, and Russ for sending in car show photos.

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