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Featured car for August 17 - 23, 2026: 1969 Chevy Nova - Owner: Ed Wilson
1969 Chevy Nova - Owner: Ed Wilson

We enter the third week of August once again with a full schedule of events every day of the week. Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t been very cooperative for car shows the past two weeks. Let’s hope the pattern shifts to something a little drier and less humid.

Things start off relatively quietly on Monday and Tuesday before the schedule kicks into high gear on Wednesday and Thursday. Motorcycle enthusiasts have plenty to choose from midweek, with bike nights scattered throughout Central Ohio, while the weekly cruise-in schedule remains just as busy.

Saturday is once again the big day with more than 21 events on the schedule. Chillicothe alone has three shows scheduled, while Delaware and Grove City each have multiple events. Sunday closes out the week with another full slate of car shows, cruise-ins, and motorcycle events spread across Central Ohio.

As always, check the individual event listings before heading out, especially if Mother Nature decides she isn’t finished messing with us yet.


Monday (August 17th):

Tuesday (August 18th):

Wednesday (August 19th):

Thursday (August 20th):

Friday (August 21st):

Saturday (August 22nd):

Sunday (August 23rd):


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

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


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

No Der Dutchman Cruise-In to report on this week. Heavy rains earlier in the week saturated the fields, leaving them far too wet to host Thursday’s cruise-in.

Pharisburg UMC Car Show and Cuisine:

Shaun “Big Dawg” Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers started the weekend off on Friday by helping to host the Pharisburg United Methodist Church Car Show and Cuisine north of Marysville.

Along with the car show, attendees enjoyed a meal from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and vintage songs performed by Chuck Magill. The show drew 34 cars, with the Best of Cruise award going to Yancy Smith and his 1972 Chevy Nova.

Here are a few photos from the show taken by Jeff Shankle. Jeff also debuted his new-to-him El Camino at the show.

Vance Outdoors Classic Cruise-In:

This year’s Vance Outdoors Classic Cruise-In to raise money for Honor Flight Columbus and Honor Flight Tri-State turned out to be a soggy affair. Heavy rains earlier in the week left the grass field rather mushy for parking, and off-and-on rain showers Saturday morning certainly didn’t help. Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, hosts Dan “Boots” Longenette and the Auto Smarts Radio Cruise and Ride team still managed to register 71 vehicles.

The drawing for the golf cart, which people purchased raffle tickets for throughout the season at Auto Smarts Radio car shows, took place at noon. This year’s lucky winners were David Bratton and Lou.

All told, an impressive $79,000 has been raised for Honor Flight this season.

Everyone who registered a vehicle received a trophy sponsored by Vance Outdoors as a way of thanking them for their support of Honor Flight.

There were also several “Special” Awards presented at the end of the show, along with large trophies for the Vance Outdoors Pick, Honor Flight Pick, and Best of Show.

Here are the "Special" Award winners:

  • VANCE'S PICK: 1970 Ford Torino GT - Chris Kraner
  • HONOR FLIGHT PICK: 1937 Wild Rod Ford - Dave Bratton
  • BEST OF SHOW: 1967 Chevy Corvette - Dale Pearce

Boots presented the awards more than an hour early so everyone could make it home before any more rain moved in. Ironically, by the time it was all said and done, the roads had dried, which was a good thing in addition to all the money raised for Honor Flight.

CONTINUE READING

2026 "Welcome to the Jungle" Cincinnati Bengals decorated Chevy Corvette Stingray belonging to Gregory Johnson.
2026 "Welcome To The Jungle" Chevy Corvette - Owner: Gregory Johnson

As we move into the middle of August, the calendar remains packed with events, especially on Saturday and Sunday, in addition to the many weekly cruise-ins and bike nights throughout Central Ohio. Some of this week’s highlights include the Vance Outdoors Car Show in Obetz benefiting Honor Flight Columbus, the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival Car Show, the Igniters Rod Run & Car Show in Chillicothe, and the Larry Coolidge Memorial Cruise-In, formerly known as the Powell Cruize-In & Pig Out.

Be sure to check out the complete schedule below, and as always, verify event details before heading out in case of weather-related changes or last-minute updates.


Monday (August 10th):

  • No Events Found

Tuesday (August 11th):

Wednesday (August 12th):

Thursday (August 13th):

Friday (August 14th):

Saturday (August 15th):

Sunday (August 16th):


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

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


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

It’s amazing how just a few degrees can affect attendance. Last week, with temperatures in the low 80s, more than 500 vehicles filled the Der Dutchman Cruise-In. This week, with highs climbing into the mid to upper 80s, attendance dropped to 279 vehicles. Even so, that’s still a turnout most events would be thrilled to have.

The variety and quality of vehicles on hand were once again outstanding. Here are some of the evening’s highlights, captured through the combined photos of Jeff Shankle and yours truly.

Hosanna Church Car Show:

Thanks to pop-up rain showers that moved through the area Friday afternoon, the 13th Annual Hosanna Church Car Show in Pataskala was a shell of its former self compared to last year. In 2025, the parking lot was bulging with 135 vehicles. This year, thanks to the rain, attendance barely made into the 20s. But as they say in the entertainment business, “The show must go on,” and that it did.

Jeff Tolley’s 1965 Chevy C-10 pickup received the People’s Choice Award, while Dave O’Brien’s 1982 Chevy C-10 pickup was selected Best of Show.

Among the other award winners were Mark and Mary Lester, whose 1967 Chevy Camaro took home the Best of the ’60s award.

Here are some rain-soaked photos Jeff Tolley took at Friday’s show.

CONTINUE READING

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Honoring the memory of two icons of the Central Ohio car community.

Larry Coolidge passed away on November 12th, 2025. Larry played a key role in the creation of the Powell, Ohio SERTOMA Club and was instrumental in bringing the annual Powell Cruize-In and Pig-Out Car Show to life. His contributions left a lasting mark on the Central Ohio car community. You can read more about Larry’s legacy here.

Steve Wagner was another familiar face to many. His cars were unmistakable—most often he drove his 1955 Chevy Nomad or his 1956 Lincoln Continental 2-door, and occasionally his Nash Ambassador Custom.

Steve was also the co-owner of the Wagner-Hagans Auto Museum, a private Columbus collection dedicated to automotive and transportation memorabilia.

On Saturday, December 13th, 2025 there will be an auction featuring the contents of the museum, including a wide variety of vintage license plates, signs, petroliana, traffic lights, and more. A second auction will offer vintage and retro furnishings. The links to both auctions are below for anyone interested in participating.

Larry and Steve each left a lasting mark on Central Ohio’s car community, and the museum auction offers enthusiasts a chance to preserve part of Steve’s legacy.


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1967 Ford Fairlane GT - Owner: Dave Griffith

For the most comprehensive list of future events in Central Ohio, check out the "Save the Dates for 2023" page. There's also a quick link in the menu at the top of the page.


If you'd like to be notified by email when a new posting appears, click the Subscribe link at the top. This is a non-profit website. Rest assured your email address will NEVER be sold to marketers. There's no risk of more spam mail in your inbox if you subscribe.


NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Finally, the forecast was right for a change. At about 5:15 PM Thursday evening, a line of showers moved through Plain City, Ohio soaking the 41 cars that showed up for the weekly cruise-in at the restaurant.

During a brief lull in the rain, Wayne and Victor quickly raffled off the Der Dutchman baked goods. Pretty much everyone still at the cruise-in won a pie, cake, or cookies. I went home with a package of chocolate chip cookies which made getting a little wet worth it.

Ricart Corvette Convene:

The weather couldn't be more perfect for the Corvette Convene at Ricart Chevrolet in Dublin, Ohio on Friday evening.

Somewhere between 60 and 70 Corvette owners turned out for the event. Almost all generations of Corvettes were represented including the 368th one built. The majority, however, were mostly C7s and C8s.

Ricart had several brand-new mid-engine Z06s on display.

There was a DJ spinning the tunes and a Dos Hermanos truck provided food and refreshments.

If you were a Corvette fan, it was an enjoyable Friday evening.

Grace Point Car Show:

On Saturday, the Grace Point Church hosted its 4th Annual Car Show at the Bibibop parking lot on Route 23 and Lewis Center Road.

The show registered 38 cars. Everyone received a door prize ticket with registration. There was also a 50/50 raffle. Money raised from the car show went to support the Grace Point Food Pantry.

Live music was provided by Sparky Brewer. The Bibibop and Panera restaurants were right there for food and refreshments.

Trophies were awarded to the Top 10 cars along with Pastor's Choice, Original Survivor, Kind of Unusual, and Best of Show awards.

The Pastor's Choice went to Daryl Newby and his 1974 Volkswagon Thing.

Rodney Blain with a 1978 GMC Sierra 15 received the Original Survivor pick.

The Kind of Unusual pick went to the 1946 Chevy 3100 DP pickup truck belonging to Jonathan Krabill.

The Best of Show pick was Kevin Foust's 1941 Dodge WC 40 Weapons Carrier. Kevin drove his truck 100 miles to participate in the show.

Carroll Community Festival Car Show:

Downtown Carroll, Ohio was the site of the Carroll Community Festival Car Show on Saturday.

The show was put on by the Lancaster Car Scene (LCS) and registered approximately 90 cars.

Awards were presented to the Top 40 along with a Mayor's Choice, Battle of the Club Cup, and Best of Show.

Dale Pearce along with members of the Old Goats Car Club took home Top 40 trophies.

Jason and Debbie Blankenship's 1959 Chevy Apache pickup received the Best of Show honors.

Canaan Land Church Car Show:

The Canann Land Church with the help of Shaun "Big Dawg" Sanders and the C-Town Cruisers hosted its annual car show in Grove City, Ohio on Saturday.

There were 102 registered cars.

Jeff Ward received the Ladies Choice award with his 2002 custom-bagged Chevy S-10 pickup.

Bruce Hoover's customized 2010 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic took home the Best Bike Award.

The Best of Show honors went to Rod Scott and his 1958 Desoto Firedome Sportsman.

Powell Cruize-In and Pig-Out:

The Powell/Dt Sertoma Club hosted its 31st Annual Cruize-In & Pig Out in downtown Powell, Ohio on Sunday.

There were 145 registered cars and trucks in attendance.

Stockhands Horses for Healing had a display that included one of its ponies for the kids to pet.

Along with the restaurants in downtown Powell, A Cut Above - Schnitzel & More had a food truck at the show.

There was no door prize raffle, however, the show did have hourly 50/50 raffles starting at about 1 PM.

Awards plaques were presented to the "Favorite 60". The "Special" awards included Mayor's Choice, Police Department's Choice, Fire Department's Choice, People's Choice, Best Interior, Best Engine, and Best of Show.

Here are the "Special" award winners:

The Best of Show Award went to Sam and Janice Foos with a 1957 Ford Skyliner. Unfortunately, they left before the awards presentation.

Here's a slideshow featuring all the vehicles that participated in the downtown Powell car show:

Columbus Racing Car, Truck, & Bike Show:

Frank Rusell and the Crossroads Events team along with a lot of beautiful cars were at Quaker Steak & Lube in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday hosting the Columbus Racing Car, Truck, & Bike Show.

The "Spotlight" car for this show was the Dodge Viper. Bill Chandler and his 2008 Dodge Viper received the Spotlight Car Award.

The 2004 Toyota Corolla LE belonging to Nick S. took home the Larry Bickers Daily Driver Award.

Best of Show honors went to Steve Kidwell and Nancy and their 1965 GTO.

Igniters Rod Run and Car Show:

The Igniters Street Rods Car Club hosted its Annual Rod Run and Car Show at Yoctangee Park in Chillicothe, Ohio on Sunday.

The show registered 298 cars. There were well over 300 cars if you included the club members.

Yoctangee Park provided tons of shade to help beat the heat.

Awards were presented to the Top 50 along with "Specialty" awards for Best '34 Ford, Best 50s Car, Best Interior, Best Rat Rod, and the Jim Bucy Memorial Award. There was no Best of Show.

To see more cars from the show, CLICK HERE.

Other Area Shows:

  • The Uptown Classics Auto Show took place Friday evening in downtown Marysville, Ohio. The show registered 132 cars. Jeff Irwin's 1963 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport race car received the Best of the Best Award.
  • I don't normally cover events east of Newark but I thought this was a cute way to finish off this week's report. Dale Pearce and his daughters traveled to Zanesville on Sunday to participate in a car show at the VFW. His daughters received Best of Show for their peddle car (actually Dale's 3100 received BOS and the peddle car received a Top 20 but we'll just keep this between ourselves).

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

  • Dale Pearce
  • Chad Herrick
  • Frank Russell
  • Kevin Foust

I hope everyone has a good week! I'll see you again next week with the Labor Day weekend events.

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NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Thursday Cruise-In:

Not much to report this week from Der Dutchman. Only 53 cars attended the cruise-in on Thursday thanks to scattered showers in the area. Not one drop fell on the cruise-in, however. Jeff Shankle and his Phone stayed dry the entire evening so no car photos were missed because of the weather. 😎

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Richwood Bank Coffee and Cars Cruise-In:

With two other events in Delaware, Ohio on Saturday and the threat of morning rain, attendance was light at the Richwood Bank Coffee and Cars Cruise-In. Those that did attend not only got a free cup of their favorite morning beverage but were also treated to a demo of Kevins Towing's "heavy rescue" truck. What an impressive piece of equipment!

At the end of the cruise-in, the bank held a drawing for three door prizes. The top prize was a bucket of car care products and a bottle of Henry McKenna Bourbon Whiskey. As luck would have it Adam Lester, the winner of the top prize, rode his Harley to the cruise-in. The bottle of whiskey made the return trip to the bank in his car well worth it.

The Richwood Bank's next coffee and cars is scheduled for September 3, 2022.

Vettes, Rods, and Classics

The Capital City Corvette Club hosted its annual Vettes, Rods, and Classics Car Show at the Creekside district in Gahanna, Ohio on Saturday. Proceeds from the show benefit Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The club registered 183 vehicles. As in past years, the rods and classics are judged separately from the Corvettes. Awards are presented to both groups along with a Best of Show winner chosen for each group.

The band Reelin' in the Years made its return to the show as the featured entertainment. If you haven't had a chance to hear the band, you should. They are one of the best local bands in my opinion.

The Best of Show award for the Rods and Classics went to Pat Jackson and his 1954 Chevy 3100 pickup truck.

The 1969 Corvette of Craig Grunkemeyer received the Best of Show award for the Vettes. Craig has the distinct honor of having both of his Corvettes receive the top award at the Vettes, Rods, and Classics show. His 1967 Corvette convertible won the Vettes BOS in 2017.

Here are the "Special" award winners starting with Jim McGruder with the Esoteric Detailing Award.

Mark Lester and his 1967 Chevy Camaro received the Best GM Award.

Not pictured:

  • Club Participation Award: Corvette Crew
  • Gahanna Parks and Recreation Award: Ryan Daniels - 2005 Chevy Colorado pickup
  • Best Mopar: Larry Ward - 1983 Dodge Truck D150
  • Best Ford: Phillip Lake - 2018 Ford Mustang
  • Corvette Car Award: Dan Shillingburg - 1965 Corvette
  • Jegs Award: Joel Charriez - 1993 Mazda
  • Mifflin Twp Fire Chief Award: Chris Zigan - 2011 Corvette
  • Mayor's Award: Larry & Vicki Tisdale - 1956 Chevy Bel Air 2 Dr Post
  • Best Import Award: Ryan Daniels - 2019 Honda Monkey
  • Wheel Craft Award: Jeff "Chubbo" Williams - 2016 Corvette Z06
  • Coughlin Chevrolet Award: Jim Van Paepeghem - 1967 Corvette Convertible
  • UBS Muirfield Wealth Partners Award: Cal Berkey - 1957 Ford Thunder Bird
  • ISCO Award: Tom & Brian Scott - 1996 Corvette Grand Sport

To see more cars and scenes from the Vettes, Rods, and Classic Show, CLICK HERE.

Powell Cruize-In & Pig Out

Larry Coolidge and the Powell DT Sertoma Club held its 30th Annual Cruize-In and Pig Out Car Show in downtown Powell, Ohio on Sunday.

This year's show registered 111 cars. Unfortunately, the forecast for a 10% chance of rain turned into 100% around one o'clock.

The rain lasted for about 90 minutes. Nothing is more frustrating than getting your car completely dried off from the first shower only to have another shower come through a few minutes later. Thank goodness the sun came back out in time to dry the roads by the end of the show.

The Sertoma Club presented award plaques to the "Top 50" cars and trucks along with six "Special/Choice" awards and a Best of Show.

Here are the "Special/Choice" award winners:

The Best of Show Award went to Matt Reed with a 1968 Oldsmobile 442.

CLICK HERE to see more from the Powell Cruize-In and Pig Out.

Vanity Club Heels & Wheels Car Show (July 30th)

Bob (aka Country) sent me more information on the Heels & Wheels Car Show from July 30th.

The show had it's best attendance ever with 81 cars registered. Bob estimated that another 20 cars showed up but didn't register. Eighteen of the club's "Hotties" were in attendance.

Here is the Best of Show winner and a few other cars that attended the show courtesy of MoBear Photography.

Other Area Car Shows

  • The Commercial Point, Ohio Karting Classic Show on Friday registered 87 vehicles. Best of Show went to a Mercury Cougar. Tom Stewart's "Orange Crush" Chevy pickup received a Top 25 award.
  • The Heart of Ohio Antique Center in Springfield, Ohio added a swap meet to this month's cruise-in on Sunday. Approximately 80 cars were in attendance.
  • On Sunday, Dale Pearce and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup took 1st Place honors at the Vineyard Columbus East Campus Car Show in Pickerington, Ohio.
  • The Kenton Moose Lodge Show on Saturday registered 98 cars.

I want to once again thank Jeff Shankle, Dale Pearce, and Bob (Country) for their help preparing this week's report.

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This week Central Ohio has a jam-packed Friday and Saturday line-up of events. Twenty-three events are on the schedule between those two days.

The marquee events this week are the Vettes, Rods, and Classics Car Show in Gahanna, The Vance Outdoor Car Show in Obetz, and the Powell Cruize-In and Pig Out in Powell.

NEWS AND NOTES:

Rain on Thursday dampened the Der Dutchman Cruise-In in Plain City, Ohio. I received word that only 26 cars braved the scattered thunderstorms and showed up last week.


Shaun "Big Dawg" Saunders and the C-Town Cruisers partnered with the Pharisburg United Methodist Church in Marysville, Ohio for a car show/cruise-in on Friday evening.

The show registered 50 cars. A free-will offering 50's style diner was served.

The Best of Show Award went to Janice and Sam Foos and their 1957 Ford Skyliner.

For the other award-winning cars and trucks and more photos from the Pharisburg United Methodist Church show, click here.


The Vanity Gentlemen's Club in Columbus, Ohio was the scene of the Heels & Wheels Car Show on Saturday afternoon. As you can guess by the location and name, it was not your traditional car show.

The Gentlemen's Club registered a total of 55 vehicles. The $15 registration fee also included a door prize ticket. I've got to say those were some of the better door prizes I've seen this season.

Everyone who registered a car got a chance to vote on awards for their favorite Vanity dancer. Since this is a "G" rated website, I won't list the name of the awards. I'll leave that up to your imagination.

The dancers did all the judging. Their pick for Best of Show was William Brown's 1979 Ford Mustang Pace Car.

To see the other award winners and more cars from the Heels & Wheels show, Click here,


At the other end of the spectrum from the Heels & Wheels show was the Purple Door Cruise-In at the Grove City Methodist Church.

The show busted its previous attendance record of 135 cars by registering 174 vehicles on Saturday.

Best of Show honors went to our good friend, Jeff Shankle, and his 1951 Ford F1 pickup.

See more photos from the Purple Door Cruise-In (thanks Dave Bratton).


The Life City Church in Pickerington, Ohio registered 80 cars on Saturday. Registration and everything else I'm told was free.


On Sunday the Buckeye Rod Builders hosted the 41st Annual Poor Man's Nationals at the Pastime Park in Plain City, Ohio. Just like in 2019, the event was free and open to all makes, models, and years. In other words, it was a big cruise-in. And big it was with over 245 cars. Just goes to show trophies aren't necessary to attract a large gathering of cars. Just offer some door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, refreshments, a good location, and some nice weather and they will come.

Click here for more photos from the 41st Poor Man's Nationals.


And finally, The C-Town Cruisers were out at The Point on Main Sunday afternoon for their monthly show at the restaurant. The Cruisers registered a little over 60 cars.

Steve Kidwell received the Best of Show award with his 1965 Pontiac GTO. Charlie Seymour and his 1967 Nova took the Ladies Choice honors.

If anyone has info from the Cardo's Pizza show in Pickerington, please feel free to post it in the comments section.


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.