March either comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb — or vice versa. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for more lamb than lion this year.
Here’s the March lineup of car and bike events to kick off the 2026 season. The first “official” outdoor car show fires up March 14 at the Miller Swap Meet and Car Show at the Ross County Fairgrounds — a sure sign that show season is officially underway.
March also brings several swap meets, an indoor motorcycle event, and plenty of morning Cars and Coffee gatherings to keep the calendar packed.
It’s time to pull the covers off, top off the tanks, and get those rides dialed in for another big season of Central Ohio events.
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.
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.
1957 Ford Fairlane Convertible - Owner: Gary Gabriel
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
Last week's News and Notes didn't have much content thanks to the weather. This week, thanks to the weather, has a TON of content so buckle up.
Grace Chapel Wednesday Night Cruise-In:
Bryan Mauger stopped by this week's Grace Chapel Wednesday Night Cruise-in. Bryan estimated there were about 30 cars in attendance.
Bryan's 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo was joined by another first-generation Monte Carlo. The owner purchased it brand new in 1972. It still has the original paint, interior, and 80,000-plus original miles.
Here are some more cars from the cruise-in:
The last Wednesday night cruise-in of the season will be October 23rd weather permitting. The Church will host a Fall Party and Car Cruise-in on Sunday, October 27th.
Corvettes Convene:
Ricart Chevrolet in Dublin, Ohio hosted its second annual Corvettes Convene on Thursday.
My Corvette was still in the shop for a transmission issue at the time so I couldn't participate with my car but I stopped by for about an hour.
There were two food trucks, a DJ, and around 50 Corvettes in attendance while I was there.
The weather couldn't have been more perfect for this Corvette owners' meet and lot party.
Der Dutchman Cruise-In Banquet:
The Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City, Ohio held its season-ending cruise-in banquet on Thursday.
This year 173 people signed up to attend the banquet.
As usual, Wayne Nisly presided over the banquet and presented some interesting stats about this season's cruise-in.
There was only one rainout this year compared to six in 2023. There were three other evenings where the threat of rain did affect attendance. Wayne did say there were a few evenings most of us would call hot but he classified them as warm.
This year 375 first-timers attended the cruise-in.
A total of 5809 cars participated in the cruise-in 2024. That's the largest number ever.
The cruise-in averaged 305 cars per evening.
Wayne's database currently has 1059 names in it. This equates to people who have attended the cruise-in at least once in the last four years.
At the end of the banquet, Wayne and the restaurant presented everyone with a special gift as a token of their appreciation for supporting another great season. One table had a gift for the Ford fans the other table had a gift for the Chevy fans.
The first cruise-in for 2025 will be May 1st. Wayne would like to set an attendance record to start the season so mark that date on your calendars now.
Friday Night NAPA Cruise-In:
Between 30 and 35 cars stop by the NAPA Auto Parts store in Hilliard, Ohio for a beautiful Friday evening meet-up.
One plus for getting dark earlier these days is that everyone can show off their car lights.
Auto Smart Cruise & Ride at Massey's Pizza:
Dan "Boots" Longenette and the Auto Smarts Cruise & Ride team were in Grove City, Ohio on Saturday hosting a car show at Massey's Pizza.
This was the 10th year Boots and Auto Smarts have been the host of this show.
The total number of registered vehicles on Saturday was 89.
Here are some of the Special Award winners:
BEST CHEVELLE 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS - Owner: Russ AnnisBEST TRUCK 1950 Chevy 3660 Pickup - Owner: Dale PearceBEST INTERIOR 1972 Chevy C-10 Stepside - Owner: Doug GlassburnBEST FORD 1946 Ford Coupe - Owner: Joe BlankenshipBEST MUSTANG 2013 Ford Mustang - Owner: Brandon TaylorMOST UNIQUE 1948 Jeepster - Owner: Dick LuckhauptBEST NOVA 1974 Chevy Nova - Owner: Jim GrahamBEST CAMARO 1969 Chevy Camaro Z/28 - Owner: Mark YoungsBEST MODERN MUSCLE 2011 Corvette Mike Mason BEST PRO STREET 1991 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Grady MaynardBOOTS' PICK 1954 Hudson Hornet - Owner: Gus O'DayBEST PAINT 1973 Corvette - Owner: Scott SouthworthBEST ENGINE 1955 Chevy Bel Air - Owner: Mark ReynoldsBEST STREET ROD 1932 Ford Roadster - Owner: MacBEST AMC 1973 Gremlin X - Owner: Gabriel RivesFUTURE CLASSIC 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing - Owner: K. Hawksworth
Award of Excellence (Previous Auto Smarts Best of Show winners):
1970 Ford Torino GT - Owner: Chris Kraner1937 Wild Rod - Owner: Dave Bratton1967 Corvette Convertible - Owner: Craig Grunkemeyer1968 Chevy Chevelle - Owner: Andrew Van Ert1971 Chevy Blazer - Owner: Ric Queen1962 Chevy Impala SS - Owner: Mark Enyart1987 Buick Grand National - Owner: John Evans1968 Dodge Charger - Owner: Dr. Ron Rogers
The Auto Smarts Super Pick went to Jim Loftus and his 1957 Chevy Bel Air.
The Best of Show was John Picken's 1931 Ford Roadster.
This will be the last BIG Saturday of events for the 2021 season. The number of events starts to taper off after this weekend. This weekend will also mark the "unofficial" start to the Trunk or Treat season so get those Halloween costumes and candy ready.
CLICK HERE to skip the News and Notes section and go directly to the list of events.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Der Dutchman Cruise-in:
Here's my final word on the Der Dutchman Cruise-in for this year. The banquet was this past Thursday. During the banquet, Wayne Nisly who manages the cruise-in pointed out that the cruise-in registered more than 2900 cars this summer. It sure has come a long way from the 18 cars that showed up the very first time I attended the cruise-in back in 2013.
Creative Automotive/Advanced Auto Parts Store:
This month's Creative Automotive/Advanced Auto Parts show in Marysville, Ohio registered 20 cars on Friday evening. The show raised $144 for the Marysville and Milford Center Food Pantries.
Here are the manager's picks (click to enlarge):
1974 Pontiac GTO Owner: Ron Graham1929 Ford Roadster Owner: Mark Whitmer1968 Chevy Camaro Owner: Tim Inscho
LaRue Fall Bang Car Show:
The town of LaRue, Ohio held its Fall Bang Festival this past Friday and Saturday. For the first time, the Festival included a car show on Friday evening. The show registered between 35 and 40 cars. The organizers hope to make it an annual event.
To see more from the Fall Bang Car Show, CLICK HERE.
Performance Charity Car Show:
The Performance Charity Car Show in downtown Delaware, Ohio was originally scheduled for July 17 but because of weather forecasts calling for all-day showers (which didn't happen by the way), it was rescheduled to this past Saturday. As it turned out, it was a good call. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a car show.
I predicted the show would be the biggest event of the weekend in Central Ohio and I was spot on. The show registered 460 cars. Counting those cars that showed up but didn't register, there were more than 500 cars during the afternoon in downtown Delaware on Saturday.
The show presented awards to the top 100 cars along with 20 Best of Show trophies. My unofficial "Early Bird" or "Are You Crazy" award goes to Sam and Barbara Parks. They arrived in the dark before Sandusky Street was even closed which was scheduled for 6 AM! The longest distance traveled was a car from South Carolina.
The Best of Show award went to Sherman and Austin Buck and their 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner:
Here are a few other winners:
Best Survivor 1968 Pontiac GTO Owner: Dan VarnerBest GTO 1964 Pontiac GTO Owner: Ron CozzoBest American Muscle 1965 Mustang Shelby GT350 R Owner: Todd Damon
Not pictured:
Best Pontiac - 1959 Pontiac Safare Wagon -Owner: Curtis Conklin
Best Buick - 1970 Buick GSX - Owner: Jeff Fortner
The October date proved to be so successful it was announced the show will be scheduled in October again next year.
Check out the Performance Charity PHOTO PAGE for a ton more cars, trucks, and bikes from the show.
Marysville Car Meet:
Between 75 and 80 cars showed up at the old Kroger parking lot in Marysville, Ohio for a Sunday afternoon car meet. It was definitely a younger crowd. Mustangs were the popular model of the day. There were a few Camaros and Corvettes and a couple of vehicles you don't see every day.
Other Area Shows:
The Hebron Nazarene Car and Truck Show registered 111 cars on Saturday. The 1959 DeSoto Fireflite Sportsman belonging to Jesse and Kaylee Bickel took the Best of Show honors.
Seventy-six cars turned out for the Danville Memorial Park Car Show on Sunday.
Special thanks to Mark and Cathy Krist, Dan Varner, Dale Pearce, and Jeff Shankle for helping make this week's report.
If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top of the page. 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.
Here is this week's line-up. Several Patriot Day car shows commemorating 9/11 will take place on Saturday. The Street Elite Corvette Club will host its annual open car show in Sunbury also on Saturday. Motts Military Show and the All Corvette Gathering in Lancaster highlight the schedule for Sunday.
NEWS AND NOTES:
WARNING: Because of the holiday weekend, this week's report is a long one. If you want to jump to the list of events and skip the report, click here.
Der Dutchman:
With weather conditions being close to ideal this past Thursday, attendance at the Der Dutchman cruise-in in Plain City, Ohio jumped back up to more than 300 cars. The weather forecast looks good for this coming Thursday so expect another big cruise-in.
Zucchinifest Car and Motorcycle Show:
On Friday evening the Zucchinifest Car and Motorcycle Show at Fortress Obetz in Obetz, Ohio registered more than 180 cars.
Best of Show went to a 1940 Woody Wagon with a Corvette engine. Our good friend, Dale Pearce, and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup received the Mayor's Choice award. Good thing Dale has a truck or it could have been a challenge getting that trophy home.
Richwood Bank Coffee and Cars Cruise-in:
Twenty-one cars spent a relaxing Saturday morning at the Richwood Bank in Delaware, Ohio. I left before the raffle drawing to make the drive over to Mechanicsburg.
Flywheels Annual Car Show:
The Flywheels Hot Rod Club of Marion hosted a car show at the Prospect Community Park in Prospect, Ohio on Saturday afternoon. The Club expected to register around 50 cars and ended up registering 174 vehicles. Talk about exceeding expectations!
The Prospect Lions Club and several food vendors provided refreshments. There were commercial and craft booths scattered around the park. I'm told the park was a great location for a car show. Clean restrooms and plenty of trees to provide shade.
The Flywheels Hot Rod Club plans to make this an annual event. To see more photos from the Flywheel show, click here.
Mechanicsburg First Responders Car Show:
Ohio State's football home opener has generally been the first Saturday of September so I've never been able to attend the Mechanicsburg First Responders Car Show until this year.
The show is held on Main Street (Route 29) north of Route 4 all the way to the Route 29/559 junction. Main Street south of Route 4 is used for overflow parking. And this year the show needed every bit of overflow parking as it registered well over 200 cars.
I arrived in Mechanicsburg around 11:40 AM (registration opened at 11 AM) and I had to park at the very end of Main Street right at the Rt 29/559 junction. It was just about a quarter-mile walk from my car to the fire station to register. My advice is to arrive early if you want to park anywhere close to the action.
I didn't see a lot in the way of food vendors. Although to be honest I wasn't looking for any. I know there was food available at the fire station and there were a couple of refreshment stands. I know this because I bought ice tea at one.
The awards were a combination of custom-made and traditional trophies. There were a good number of special awards like Mayor's Choice, Most Original, Farthest Traveled, Best Engine, etc, along with "Top 45" trophies, a Runner-up Best of Show, and a Best of Show.
Runner-up Best of Show went to Sam Parks and his 1948 Chevrolet Pickup. The orange 1946 Ford Coupe belonging to Robert Kirst from Mansfield, Ohio took the Best of Show honors.
If you'd like to see more cars from the Mechanicsburg show, click here.
Auto Smarts Cruise and Ride at Ten Pin Alley:
Dan "Boots" Longenette and Pepsi's Auto Smarts Radio Cruise and Ride team were in Hilliard, Ohio Saturday at the Ten Pin Alley bowling establishment.
The show registered 82 vehicles. Dale Pearce and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup took The Best Truck Award. Best of Show went to Aaron Denney and his 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442.
The Italian Gathering:
On my way to the Dublin A.M. Rotary Classic Car Show on Sunday, I stopped by Wendy's International Headquarters in Dublin, Ohio to take some photos from the Italian Gathering. Boy, could you smell the money!
The event is organized by Evans Automotive and proceeds go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Wendy's Wonderful Kids.
This is the first year that owners of the British manufactured McLaren could participate in the Italian Gathering. Personally, I think the organizers should relabel it the Exotic Gathering and allow the Porsches, Jaguars, and any other high-end foreign-manufactured cars to participate. I bet it would be a huge event.
Click here to see more photos from the Italian Gathering.
Dublin A.M. Rotary Classic Car Show:
After a year off because of Covid, the Rotary Club of Dublin A.M. held their second annual classic car show on Sunday in the public parking lots off Bridge Park Avenue in Dublin, Ohio.
This year the show registered 103 cars. The DJ again was Jason Nester, who in my opinion is one of the top two or three DJs in the area. Elvis was also in the parking lot along with the Poodle girls. The biggest complaint I heard was the lack of food vendors. If you wanted something to eat or drink the only choices were the restaurants adjacent to the parking lots.
The Dublin A.M. Rotary presented 30 "Favorite" trophies and a Best of Show. The Best of Show Award went to Mark Richmond with a 1967 Volkswagon Karmann Ghia Coupe.
Click this link for more photos from the Dublin A.M. Rotary Classic Car Show.
American Legion Southway Post 144 Labor Day Car Meet:
Big Dawg and the C-Town Cruisers were in south Columbus, Ohio on Monday hosting the Labor Day Car Meet at the American Legion Southway Post 144.
The American Legion Southway Post 144 is one of my favorite venues for a car show. It sits back off of South High Street. There's a long driveway to a big parking lot. You can park on the blacktop or you can park in the grass. There's plenty of shaded areas to escape the sun. What's really nice is the members of Post 144 appreciate the C-Town Cruisers hosting car shows at their establishment.
Getting back to the show, 90 cars registered Monday with another 10-20 cars showing up but not registering. Big Dawg presented trophies to the "Top 40" cars along with a Best Truck Award, a Best Rat Rod/Most Potential Award, a Most Patriotic Award, a Club Participation Award, the Larry Bickers Memorial Award, and a Best of Cruise.
The Larry Bickers Memorial Award went to Mike and Sandy Gibson and their 1947 Buick Super Convertible. The 1957 Chevy Bel Air belonging to Tom and Lynn Verfaillie took the Best of Cruise honors.
To see more photos from the show, click the link below.
I received a few photos from Monday's West Jefferson Ox Roast Car Show that was held in Garrett Park in West Jefferson, Ohio. It looks like the event registered around 140 cars. According to the flyer, there were trophies for the "Favorite" 35 and a Best of Show. If anyone knows who took the Best of Show Award or has information on any other shows in the area this past weekend, please feel free to post in the comments.
That's it for this week. I think I set a record with 520 photos taken over the three-day weekend. Whew!
I want to thank Dale Pearce, Cathy, and Mark Krist, Jeff Shankle, and Bryan Lewis for their help making this report.
If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top of the page. 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.
2018 Camaro ZL1 and 1968 Camaro SS Owner of Both: Anthony Margello
The last weekend of August has turned out to be the biggest weekend of the season when it comes to the number of events. Lots to choose from all over the Central Ohio area.
NEWS AND NOTES:
38th Arthritis Foundation Classic Auto Show and Cruise-in:
I spent a few hours Friday afternoon as a spectator at the 38th Annual Arthritis Foundation Classic Auto Show and Cruise-In in Dublin, Ohio. Friday's registration was somewhere between 330 and 350 cars. The big exhibit this year was 110 years of Chevrolet.
I managed to take more than 100 photos of some excellent rides.
The top 50 cars on Friday received six-foot trophies. Dave Bratton and Lou Koester received a special award for their financial contributions to the Arthritis Foundation.
I didn't make it to the show on Saturday. If you were at Saturday's show as a participant or spectator, please feel free to post a comment about the day's activities.
To see the photos I took of the one hundred plus cars on Friday, click here.
Westerville Cars & Coffee with Jake from State Farm:
Saturday morning I headed over to Westerville, Ohio for Westerville Cars & Coffee with Jake from State Farm. This is the second year State Farm agent, Jake Breakey, has been hosting a Saturday morning cruise-in in the parking lot behind his agency. Anyone that brought a car could enjoy a cup of coffee, donuts, and a chance to spin the wheel for prizes. It turned out to be a great way to spend a Saturday morning. My only disappointment was Jake wasn't wearing khakis. He was wearing shorts.
Cruisin' with the King:
The Mid Ohio Cruisers Car Club registered 53 cars Saturday evening at their monthly show at the Burger King in Marysville, Ohio. The club presented awards to their favorite 15 vehicles.
To see some of the "Favorite" winners and other cars from the show, click here.
Meet at the Beach 2:
Sunday afternoon the south end of the Alum Creek Beach parking lot was the scene of the second Meet at the Beach car meet this season. The majority of owners of the estimated 100 plus cars that turned out during the afternoon were definitely under the age of 30.
The Japanese car manufacturers were very well represented. For a little while, my Camaro and a Jeep were the only cars from American manufacturers. A Mclaren, Lamborghini, and a few classics cars cruised through the parking lot but none stayed very long.
Looking through a crystal ball this will likely be the next generation of car show enthusiasts 20-30 years from now. They'll be showing off their restored 2015 Subaru or Toyota instead of a '69 Camaro.
If you have a Facebook account, check out Dale Pearce's video from the Millersport car show on Sunday. The show registered 65 cars.
If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top of the page. 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.
Another month of car shows and cruise-ins will be in the books after this weekend. Five months down only four more to go in the 2021 season.
This week the schedule for Saturday isn't as heavy as it has been the past few weeks, and there's a little more variety to choose from on Sunday.
NEWS AND NOTES:
A Thursday evening + nice weather = lots of cars at Der Dutchman. This past week saw attendance at the cruise-in in Plain City, Ohio reach 374 cars.
The highlights from the evening were a gorgeous resto-moded 1967 Camaro with an LS3 engine dropped in it and a white and chrome Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Another cool thing at Der Dutchman was the license plate collection of Kerry Rich. Kerry has a license plate for every year one has been issued by the state of Ohio. His father started the collection and Kerry has continued it.
The Blackwing Shooting Center in Ostrander, Ohio held its 7th Annual Summer Blast Car Show on Saturday. The show registered 91 cars with a few more showing up but not registering. The awards were an engraved Yeti Mug. I didn't realize that's what they were presenting for awards or I would have taken some photos of them. It's not often the music at a car show has to compete with the sound of gunshots.
To see the vehicles that received an award and other cars from the Blackwing Summer Blast, click here.
I received a report that the Battle of the Brands hosted by the GTO Association of Central Ohio at the Big Walnut Grill in Sunbury, Ohio set a new attendance record Saturday. The show registered somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 cars and could have had more but had to turn cars away because there were no more parking spaces. If you have any information on this show, please feel free to post in the comment section.
Jax Wax Street Madness is exactly what it turned out to be Saturday evening. There was a line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot when I arrived at 7:00 PM and a line of cars still waiting to get in when I left at 8:30 PM. There were too many cars to count, but I bet close to a thousand showed up for the event.
It was generally a younger crowd in attendance. There were Lots of Mustangs, Challengers, older Corvettes, and Japanese manufacturers. Not many classic cars. Some car owners had more money invested in speakers and amplifiers than they did in their cars. Air bagged suspensions seemed to be the norm Saturday evening.
Dave Bratton was kind enough to send photos from the Dick Marsh Memorial Car Show that to took place in Newark, Ohio on Sunday. The event registered around 100 cars. Best of Show went to Jimi Marshall and his 1960 Cadillac Eldorado.
And finally, congratulations to Brian Thompson for receiving the Larry Bickers Memorial Award at the C-Town Cruisers Saturday Night Cruise at Nik Fixx Automotive Show.
If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top of the page. 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.
