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Tag: mopar

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Published on 2 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows & Motorcycle Events | August 3 – 9, 2026
This week's featured vehicles is a 1952 Chevy Suburban - Owner: Bobby Pigg
1952 Chevy Suburban - Owner: Bobby Pigg

The calendar doesn’t slow down as we turn the page to August. Another full week of car and motorcycle events is on tap to kick off the first full week of the month, with Saturday once again featuring an outstanding lineup of shows.

One of the weekend’s marquee events is Vettes, Rods, & Classics, long considered one of Central Ohio’s premier charity car shows. This year the show moves to a new date and a new venue, the Gahanna Tech Center, replacing its longtime home at Creekside in Gahanna.

Saturday’s schedule is loaded with other can’t-miss events as well, including Hot Summer Nights in Bellefontaine, Volksfest 35, The Classic Car Show in Commercial Point, and the rescheduled Ye Olde Mill Rod Run & Picnic in Utica. Those are just a few of the many opportunities to get out, enjoy the weather, and spend the day surrounded by great cars, motorcycles, and fellow enthusiasts.

UPDATE: After Mother Nature did a complete 180 from the beautiful weather we enjoyed the previous weekend, several car shows were forced to reschedule. A number of those events have been moved to this coming Saturday and Sunday, making an already packed weekend schedule even busier.

Monday (August 3rd):

Tuesday (August 4th):

Wednesday (August 5th):

Thursday (August 6th):

Friday (August 7th):

Saturday (August 8th):

Sunday (August 9th):

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

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

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NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

It was another big Thursday evening at the Der Dutchman Cruise-In in Plain City. Thanks in part to the participation of several Corvette clubs, 538 vehicles filled the grounds.

While that was down slightly from the record-setting 561 vehicles the previous week, another milestone was reached with 41 first-time participants attending the cruise-in.

This video montage, created from the combined photos of Jeff Shankle, Bryan Mauger, Tom Lawrence, and yours truly, captures the energy, excitement, and outstanding rides that made Thursday’s cruise-in another memorable evening.

Urbana Knights of Columbus Car Show:

The Urbana Knights of Columbus hosted its 23rd Annual Car Show on Friday evening at St. Mary Catholic Church in Urbana. This year’s show attracted 88 registered vehicles. Tom Lawrence attended the show and shared photos of most of the vehicles on display.

CONTINUE READING

Published on
1964 Ford Fairlane - Owner: Russ R.

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NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

This past Thursday evening’s cruise-in at Der Dutchman in Plain City, Ohio, had a special treat in store for attendees. A little over 30 Cobras made the drive over from the London, Ohio Cobra Show, bringing some serious muscle and style to the weekly gathering.

A red sports car, likely a Cobra, is parked on green grass with a group of people nearby discussing it. In the background, a trailer with 'London Cobra Show' branding is visible alongside a building.
A lineup of various sports cars, including several Cobras and a red Dodge Viper, parked on a grass field under a partly cloudy sky.

Among the sea of Cobras, one car stood out—not for its rarity, but for being a bit of an outlier. Somehow, a Dodge Viper found its way into the mix.

With the influx of Cobras and regular participants, the total car count for the night reached 301 vehicles, making it one of the more well-attended events of the season so far.

Each week tends to bring something unique to the cruise-in. The standout for “most unusual” vehicle of the night went to a 1970 Alfa Romeo — a car you don’t often see at typical car shows or cruise-ins.

To wrap up this week’s Der Dutchman report, here’s a look at a few more Cobras from the London Cobra Show that helped make the evening memorable.

Tint World Cruise In:

Tint World Automotive Styling Center, in association with the Columbus Chapter of the Mustang Club of Ohio, hosted its second cruise-in of the season on Friday evening.

Exterior view of Tint World store featuring a yellow sign, open storefront, and a tent with people preparing for an automotive event.
Interior of a Tint World Automotive Styling Center showcasing various audio and security systems, with sleek design elements and seating area.

Approximately 25 cars stopped by during the evening. Luna Pizza Kitchen was there serving up slices of pizza. In addition to the food, there was also a 50/50 split pot drawing.

A scene from a car show featuring a table with promotional materials for Tint World Automotive Styling Centers and Luna Pizza Kitchen, along with cookies and drinks for attendees.

No surprise the largest percentage of cars were Mustangs, other makes and models helped add some variety to the event.

It was a laid-back evening with great cars and a friendly crowd. The cruise-in will continue every month through October. The next cruise-in will be Friday, July 25th.

London Strawberry Festival Car Show:

Editor’s Note: The goal of these reports is to celebrate our local car events—not to criticize them—but when problems arise, it’s only fair to reflect the experience as it happened.

This year’s London Strawberry Festival Car Show was marked by confusion, frustration, and significant logistical issues that left many participants disappointed.

Although the show did take place, numerous reports indicate that it was not held at its advertised location on Union Street. Several attendees who arrived between 5:30 and 6:00 PM—just before the scheduled registration time—reported seeing no signs of a show or any event setup on Union Street. One attendee mentioned being told the show was “full” by 5:45 PM, despite registration being listed to begin at 6:00 PM.

The show was ultimately relocated to South Main Street near the railroad tracks for reasons still unknown—information that many participants only discovered upon arrival or through word of mouth. These abrupt changes, coupled with a lack of signage or communication, led to considerable confusion.

The relocated show area reportedly couldn’t accommodate many cars and filled up quickly. As a result, many attendees chose to leave—either heading home or checking out other shows instead.

One participant summed it up this way: “Definitely a poorly run show. I felt bad for the one guy running it. He took a ton of crap — including some from me — and it wasn’t even his fault. I apologized for ripping him a new one. He was a nice guy and handled it really well. He admitted the organizers screwed up and said they deserved to hear about it.”

For many, this year’s event fell short of expectations due to poor planning and a lack of communication. Still, as always, the Central Ohio car community made the best of a less-than-ideal situation.

One bright spot came for Kenny G., whose 2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat took home the Best in Show Award.

READ THE REST OF NEWS & NOTES

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Published on 6 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows, Cruise-Ins, and Meet-ups for June 26 – July 2, 2023
1968 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible - Owners: Mike & Lisa Simpson

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NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Last weekend was the annual London Cobra Show held between London and Dublin, Ohio. About 40 of the Cobras in for the show attended the Der Dutchman Cruise-In on Thursday. Total attendance reached 245 cars.

Remembering the Classics at Verena at Hilliard:

The Verena Senior Living Community in Hilliard, Ohio hosted a Remembering the Classics event on Thursday evening.

The theme of the event was a celebration of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. A small "classic" car show and Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe musical tribute impersonators were part of the celebration.

The residents of Verena were given the opportunity to vote for their favorite car. Trophies were presented to the three cars with the most votes.

Jeff Tolley's 1959 Chevy Biscayne received the third-place trophy. Tom Obert's 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang finished in second place.

Dale Pearce and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup received the most votes. The walker displayed right next to his truck gave Dale a huge advantage over the other cars. 😎

Everyone who participated in the car show was treated to a prime rib or chicken dinner compliments of the Verena.

London Strawberry Festival Car & Motorcycle Show:

Downtown London, Ohio was the scene of the annual Strawberry Festival Car & Motorcycle Show on Friday Evening.

The show registered about 40 cars.

One of my pet peeves is window cards with just a number to identify the car. Spectators and car show reporters like me find it beneficial to know the owner, year, make, and model of the vehicle. Especially when it comes to time to present awards.

Here's the Best of Show winner.

PTFD's Fish Fry & Friday Cruise-In:

It was one owner night at the Prairie Township Fire Department Fish Fry and Cruise-In on Friday evening in Columbus, Ohio.

The show registered 50 cars. There were 50 awards including the Fire Chief's Choice and Best of Show.

The Fire Chief's Choice Award went to Bud Norris and his all-original, one-owner 1965 Ford Mustang

Best of Show went to the one-owner 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS of Russ Annis.

Earth Angel Foundation Super Cruise-In:

The Earth Angel Foundation held its 36th annual Super Cruise-In at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds in Lancaster, Ohio on Saturday.

The event registered over 225 cars. There were a total of 84 awards (80 + four special) presented at the end of the show.

The "Special" awards went to Bob Randolph with his 1970 Dodge Challenger (Kids' Choice). John Nuckles' 1940 Ford Woody received one of the two Goodguys awards. The other went to a T-Bucket from Indiana. Best of Show honors named after the late president of the Foundation, Neil Redd, went to the 1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi of Jim Bickel.

Here are some of the cars and scenes from this year's Super Cruise-In:

Pinecrest Car Show, Cruise-In:

On Saturday, the Reformation Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio was the site of the 3rd Annual Pinecrest Car Show, Cruise-In. The show was sponsored by the Pinecrest Civic Association and the C-Town Cruisers.

The awards included "Top 30", Pastor's Choice (aka Best of Show), and Club Participation.

Congratulations to The Old Goats Car Club for its third club participation award this season.

The Pastor's Choice or Best of Show went to Bill and Susie Albert and their 1963 Chevy Impala 409.

American Legion Canteen Post 144 Car Show:

Big Dawg and the C-Town Cruisers hosted their first of four car shows this season at the American Legion Canteen Post 144 on South High Street in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday.

Unfortunately, some rain showers passing through the area just about the time registration opened kept some cars home in the garage. The show registered 33 cars.

Best of Show honors went to Steve Shaeffer with a 1965 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible.

The next show the C-Town Cruisers will host at the American Legion Post on South High Street will be the Labor Day Car Show on September 4th.

Other Area Shows:

  • The Buckeye Region Plymouth Owners Club hosted its 20th Annual All Mopar Car Show at the Plaza Inn Family Restaurant in Mount Victory, Ohio Saturday morning. Thirty-four cars turned out for the event. In lieu of trophies, everyone who registered a vehicle was treated to a free buffet luncheon at the restaurant.
  • Walmart, Empty Pockets, and Nationwide Children's Hospital hosted a car show on Saturday afternoon at the Westpointe Plaza Walmart. Sponsored by Walmart and Nationwide Children's Hospital with help from the Empty Pockets Car Club, the show registered around 50 cars. All proceeds went to the Children's Miracle Network. Awards were presented to the "Top 40" Cars along with three "Special Awards". Here are the Special Award winners:
NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL'S TOP PICK
1956 Buick Super
Owner: Shannon Williams
WALMART'S TOP PICK
2021 Dodge Charger
Owner: Yen
BEST OF SHOW
1934 Plymouth 4dr
Owner: Don Davis

  • The Marysville Mustang Club hosted its Summer Event Saturday at C&N Motor Cars in Marysville, Ohio. About 75 cars attended the afternoon car meet.
  • Anthony Musick's 2017 Dodge Challenger finished in 1st Place for 2001 to 2023 Modern Cars at the Permco Grand Prix at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course.

I especially want to thank everyone who contributed to this week's report. This includes Dave Bratton, Jeff Shankle, Anthony Musick, Dale Pearce, Arch Mayer, Russ Annis, Phil Monroe, and Frank Sanborn.

My wife had a bad fall at Star Lanes at Polaris Friday afternoon and broke her left shoulder. I'll be playing Nursemaid for a while.

I hope everyone has a great week.

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Published on 4 Comments on Central Ohio Car Events for August 9 – 15, 2021
2008 Dodge Viper Convertible
Owners: Bill & Carol Chandler

Mopar fans and their hemi engines will be invading Hebron, Ohio this weekend for the 40th Annual Mopar Nationals. If you're a Volkswagon aficionado there's the Volkfest Car Show and Swap Meet on Saturday in Pataskala, Ohio. And if you're into tomatoes, well, the 2021 Tomatofest Car Meet in Reynoldsburg, Ohio should be right up your alley.

NEWS AND NOTES:

Der Dutchman:

The Der Dutchman cruise-in in Plain City, Ohio returned to form this past Thursday with more than 300 cars in attendance. For some unexplained reason, I photographed a lot of makes and models in pairs this week.

Hosanna Lutheran Church Car Show:

The 8th Annual Hosanna Lutheran Church Car Show in Pataskala, Ohio registered 89 cars on Friday evening. The Church presented awards to the Top 30 cars, a People's Choice award, and Best of Show. Judging was done on a points system.

The People's Choice Award went to Emma Leigh with a 1956 Mercury Monterey. Larry Steffey and his 2013 Roush Stage 3 Mustang took the Best of Show honors.

Click Here, for more photos from the Hosanna Lutheran Church show.

Karting Classic Car, Truck & Bike Show:

The Commercial Point, Ohio Karting Classic 4th Annual Car, Truck, & Bike Show registered around 130 cars on Friday. From the report I got, the show had a bigger turnout than expected. Looks like the organizers had some pretty nice trophies to present. To see more from the Karting Classic show, click here.

Richwood Bank Cruise-In:

The Richwood Bank in Delaware, Ohio hosted their second cruise-in of the season this past weekend. Thirty-two cars turned out for the Saturday morning affair. There were raffle prizes and coffee shop specials for anyone who registered a car. Joey Gill from Chesrown Chevrolet, Buick, GMC brought over a brand new 2021 mid-engine Corvette Convertible for display.

The bank plans to host another cruise-in the first Saturday in September and possibly a Halloween-themed cruise-in in October weather permitting.

Vettes, Rods and Classics Car Show:

After a one-year hiatus because of Covid, The Capital City Corvette Club returned to the Creekside district in Gahanna, Ohio on Saturday with their Vettes, Rods, and Classics Car Show. The show registered 298 cars. Thirteen short of the previous attendance record. From my casual observation as a spectator, it looked like the number of rods and classics were down a bit from previous years. There were definitely a lot of Corvettes!

Because of the threat of severe thunderstorms in the area, the awards presentation started around 4 PM instead of 5 PM as planned. I stuck around until the thunder and lightning started and then got out of there ASAP so I wasn't around for the Best of Show announcements. I found out later that no one else was around for the BOS announcements either because as they started announcing the C5 Corvette awards the monsoon rain started.

The winners are supposed to be posted to the Capital City Corvette Club's website. As of this writing, nothing has been posted. I'll post a link to the award winners as soon as it becomes available.

I did manage to get a photo of one award winner before the skies opened up. David Zitko and his 1971 Chevy Chevelle received the Gahanna Police Department Car Award.

UPDATE: The list of award winners has been posted to the Capital City Corvette Club website under the Announcements heading.

The Best of Show award for the Rods and Classics went to Kevin Foust and his 1941 Dodge Wc40 Military Weapon Carrier. Paul and Kelly Beck and their 1966 Corvette convertible received the Best of Show for the Vettes.

To see more photos from the Vettes, Rods, and Classics show, click here.

Honor Flight/Vance Outdoors Car Show:

The Honor Flight/Vance Outdoors Show hosted by Pepsi's Auto Smarts Radio Cruise and Ride crew registered 148 cars on Saturday. The show raised $95,000 for Honor Flight. Word has it Boots cut off his beard for charity.

The Best of Show award went to the 1930 Ford Five Window Pickup Truck belonging to Ralph Carle.

Click here, for additional photos from the Honor Flight/Vance Outdoors Show.

Powell Sertoma Cruise-In and Pig Out:

The Powell Sertoma Cruise-In and Pig Out Car Show returned back to the streets of downtown Powell, Ohio on Sunday. The show registered more than 140 cars. The Best of Show award went to Brett Gearhart and his 1967 Chevy Nova SS.

For more Cruise-In and Pig Out photos, click here.

Other Area Shows:

The Baltimore Ohio Festival Cruise-In registered 140 cars on Friday evening. Tom Stewart and his 1982 "Orange Crush" Chevy C-10 pickup received the Best Truck Award.

Dale Pearce and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup took Best of Show honors at the Amvets Post 1776 Red, White & Cruise Show in Logan, Ohio on Saturday.

The Hartford Fair Car Show in Croton, Ohio attracted 169 cars on Sunday. Dawayne Noble's Volkswagon received the Best of Show award.

Special thanks to Dave Bratton, Larry Walters, Dale Pearce, and Jeff Shankle for helping to make this week's News and Notes.

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