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Tag: Rod Knockers

28

Published on 28 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows, Cruise-Ins, and Meet-Ups Recap of the 2022 Season

It's that time of the year when the weather turns cold, the cars are put away for the winter, and we impatiently sit and wait for the next car show season to start. Reminiscing about the season that just finished is a great way to pass some of the time.

Before we begin our journey back through 2022, I must state the usual disclaimer that the opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. They reflect the events I attended and the cars I saw in 2022. If you disagree with anything I post, please feel to express them in the comments section. If you encountered something particularly good or bad during the past season, please post that in the comment section as well.

With that out of the way, let's begin the journey back through 2022.

Some Statistics:

  • More than 6000 photos of your cars, trucks, and motorcycles were posted to carshowtalk.com in 2022.
  • From March through November, carshowtalk.com listed 995 events in the Central Ohio area which includes Marion on the north, Springfield on the west, Chillicothe on the south, and Newark on the east as boundaries.
  • August had the most events with 232. November had the least with 18.
  • I personally traveled to 21 different locations to participate in a car event. Der Dutchman in Bellville and the Historic Clifton Mill were the two farthest. Both exceeded 50 miles.
  • There were 116,175 visits to carshowtalk.com from March through October. The week of August 22-28 had the most visits with 4845. It kind of goes along with August having the most events.

I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for supporting carshowtalk.com in 2022. It was the best year yet for the website.

Favorite Cruise-Ins/Meet-ups:

  • Der Dutchman Cruise-In - I doubt anyone will argue that the weekly cruise-in at the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City, Ohio isn't the best cruise-in in all of Central Ohio. This year 5449 cars attended the cruise-in from May through September. The weekly average of 259 vehicles was an all-time record. Wayne and Luella Nisly along with the restaurant staff do a great job of making the cruise-in a fun and relaxing way to spend a Thursday evening during the summer.
  • Columbus Cars and Coffee Arena District Meet - There's something about seeing hundreds of classic, exotic, and muscle cars lined up in front of Nationwide Arena. This turns out to be my favorite Columbus Cars and Coffee meet each season. I got so carried away this year that I took close to 300 photos - most of any event.
  • Jax Wax Street Madness - I didn't go to the two meet-ups this year, however, those that did go reported that the "Street Madness" name is by far the best description for the event. It's crazy and loud! The event has gotten so big the fall/Halloween meet moved from the airport to National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio. How you feel about the event will likely depend on your age. If you're under 40, you'll love it. Over 40 and you'll probably never go to another one again.
  • Goodguys After Hours at the Crown Plaza, Hilton, and Quaker Steak and Lube - No discussion of cruise-ins/meet-ups would be complete without mentioning the after-hours gathering at these three locations during Goodguys weekend. There's definitely a party atmosphere at the Crown Plaza. The Hilton is a little more subdued and Quaker Steak and lube is just plain madness.

Favorite NO Registration Fee Judged Shows:

  • Rod Knockers Car Club - The club's monthly show at the Rural King in Marion, Ohio continues to be the king of this category. If there's decent weather on the first Saturday of the month from April through October, you can expect well over 100 cars in attendance The club presents around 30 awards each month that always represent a different theme. There are door prizes and 50/50 raffles and music from the 50s/60s along with classic rock. You owe yourself to attend at least one Rod Knockers show during the season. It will only cost you the gas to get to Marion and back.
  • Cruisin' with the King in 2022 - Runner-up in this category is the monthly show hosted by the Mid Ohio Cruisers Car Club at the Burger King on Rt 31 in Marysville, Ohio. On a good Saturday, attendance will push the 100 mark. At the end of the show, awards are presented to the club's "Favorite" 15 cars, trucks, and motorcycles. There are door prizes and 50/50 raffles and music from the 50s and 60s. And if you're hungry, there's Burger King right there.
  • Summer Jubilee Car Show - Kuhlwein's Farm Market & Deli and the Vienna Door Company sponsored a registration-free judged show this summer at Kuhlwein's Farm Market in Hilliard, Ohio. With assistance from the Empty Pockets Cruisers Car Club, the event attracted 117 cars. Twenty-four awards were presented at the end of the show. Live entertainment was provided by Madeline Rose and the Thorns. There were several food trucks on site. However, the big hit was the free bratwurst sandwiches given out by Lehnerts Meats. I'm told by reliable sources Kulwein's and the Vienna Door Company plan to sponsor more shows like this in 2023.

Favorite Registration Fee Judged Shows:

This was a tough category for me to pick this year. As I looked back over the year, there were a lot of good shows in this category.

  • Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals - Obviously Goodguys has to be included at the top of this list. It is the largest and most prestigious show in the area. We are blessed to have an event like this to look forward to every year. Receiving an All-American Sunday Award with my Camaro made this year's event even more special.
  • Empty Pockets Cruisers Trunk or Treat - This show makes my Favorite list year after year. It seems to bring out the Halloween spirit in everyone that attends. More folks dress up in costumes and decorate cars than any other Trunk or Treat show in the area. The volume of children trick or treating is also impressive. This year my 350-piece bag of candy was emptied in record-setting time.
  • Vettes, Rods, and Classics - This is another show that ranks at the top of my list every year. The Capital City Corvette Club does a great job as a host. Creekside in Gahanna, Ohio is a cool venue for a car show. There are a lot of places to sit and eat. The club presents 80 plus awards. I like that the Corvettes and rods and classics are judged independently of each other and that each category has its own Best of Show winner. This year saw the return of the band Reelin' In The Years for live entertainment. The Capital City Corvette Club can chalk up another successful show with lots of great cars.
  • Spring Fling All Corvette Show - After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the Spring Fling All Corvette show returned to Quaker Steak and Lube in Columbus, Ohio this past May. Hosted by the Chosen Few Corvette Club, the show attracts Corvette owners and clubs from all over the country. This year the show registered more than 300 Corvettes and presented 130 awards. If you own a Corvette, this is a show you'll want to attend.
  • Auto Smarts Radio/C-Town Cruisers - I would be remiss if I didn't mention Boots and Auto Smarts Radio Cruise and Ride and Big Dawg and the C-Town Cruisers. Those two groups were involved in 50 Central Ohio car events in 2022. Add in the new kid on the block, Frank Russell, and Crossroad Events, and you have over 60 shows hosted by those three groups. Having 60 additional shows to choose from each season is a massive bonus for our area. I'm told it's unique to Central Ohio.

Favorite Ten:

Each year I pick my 10 favorite cars, trucks, and motorcycles I saw during the season. I try to limit the picks from Goodguys since one could easily select all ten from there. This year my favorite 10 only includes one car from Goodguys. The rest were all from local shows and cruise-ins.

Without further ado, here are my ten favorites in no particular order.

1970 Oldsmobile 442 - Owner: Aaron Denny (Summer Jubilee)
1966 Corvette Stingray Restomod with GM LT5 engine - Owner: Michels Auto Design (Goodguys)
1968 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Scott Mayo (Arthritis Show)
1957 Porsche Speedster - Owner: Laurie Hartley (Battle of the Brands)
1959 Ford F-100 - Owner: Kristin Finnerty (Battle of the Brands)
1966 Internation Scout - Owner: Unknown (Powell Cruize-in and Pig out)
2011 Harley Davidson Street Glide - Owner: Coryell Stephenson (Performance Charity Car Show)
2022 Yenko/SC Chevy Camaro - Owner: Bill Reno (Der Dutchman)
1934 Packard - Owner: Ray Gosnell (Vettes, Rods, and Classics)
1991 Chevy Camaro Z/28-1LE - Owner: Dan Varner (Chesrown Classic Cruise-In)

The Unusual, Unique, and Odd:

Each year vehicles show up at shows and cruise-ins that some might describe as unusual or unique while others call them odd. Here are some of the vehicles in 2022 that fit those descriptions.

Not sure what was up with this Jeep
The Jeep's interior was just as intriguing
2001 Panoz Esperante
Camaro + El Camino = Camarmino
Unusual, unique, and odd
Kevin's Towing Heavy Rescue
2008 Ssangyong Actyon Sport
Two 1949 Plymouths (Which is the front, which is the rear?)
Totally air Brushed pickup honoring our military and police
LS Engine in a Porsche
Built by someone with too much time on their hands
Ford F450 Superstretch 8 Door
Subaru Sambar
Home made Woody
Click or tap on a photo to enlarge it

R.I.P.

This year we lost a number of fellow Central Ohio cruisers. They will all be missed.

Mike Gibson
Doug Leopard
Jerry Davies
Patrick Petrime
Billy Dean Peterson
Don Newland

Cruisers of the Year:

  • This year's Cruiser of the Year Award goes to Jeff Tolley. Jeff participated in more than 170 events this season. And I thought my 80 was pretty good.
  • Runner-up Cruisers of the Year goes to Jeff Shankle and Dave O'Brien. Both attended just under 160 events. Jeff also receives Photographer of the Year. It wasn't even a contest.

Other Notables:

  • Best Restrooms - Delaware Christian Church
  • Best Hamburger - Tolles Car and Craft Show
  • Best "Live" Entertainment - Vettes, Rods, & Classics
  • Worst Weather - The thunderstorms that roared through Central Ohio on July 23rd
  • Best Door Prize - The bottle of booze that was part of the grand prize basket at Richwood Bank's Coffee and Cars.
  • Tallest Best of Show trophy - Still Electric Mods, Rods, & Classic Car Show and Auto Smarts Radio Westerville Moose Lodge Car Show
  • Most expensive collection of cars at an event not counting Goodguys - $20 million plus at the Unveiling of the Triple F Collection's newest supercar

Final Thoughts on 2022:

I want to thank all those who shared photos and information from events I wasn't able to attend. A special thanks goes to regular contributors Jeff Shankle, Dale Pearce, and Dave Bratton. Their weekly contributions helped carshowtalk.com reach a whole new level this year.

I'm going to take a few months off. I'll be back in February with the first edition of Save the Dates for 2023. The weekly list of events will resume again in April.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Holiday Season. I'll be leaving for my winter home the day after Christmas.

I'm going to end the year with the final lines from Ohio State University's Alma Mater:

The seasons pass the years will roll
Time and change will surely show
How firm thy friendship...OHIO!

The same can be said about a season of car shows. The friendships we make and the experiences we share with each other will roll on long after the season ends.

This slideshow captures my favorite moments from 2022. Enjoy! I'll see everyone next year.

17

Published on 17 Comments on 2021 Central Ohio Car Show Season in Review

After the finish of every season, I like to take a look back at what I think was good and what I think was not so good about it. The opinions expressed are my own and apply only to the events I attended. If you disagree with me or have an event you thought was particularly good or one not so good, please feel free to post a comment. With that said, lets get on with the review of the 2021 Central Ohio car show season..

From April 17 through November 12, I participated in 77 car shows, cruise-ins, and meet-ups and was a spectator in another nine. I took 5500 photos of classic cars, muscle cars, exotics, trucks, and motorcycles. I drove over 2600 miles round trip to report on local car events. This may all sound very impressive until you find out Jeff Tolley and his friends participated in 180 events this season. That's pretty much one every single day!

The Good:

Let's start with some good. The 2021 car show season pretty much returned to pre-pandemic normals. To my knowledge, not a single public health agency forced the cancellation of a car event this season because of Covid. Even the Governor allowed Goodguys to return to the Fairgrounds despite banning the public from attending the Ohio State Fair.

Shaun "Big Dawg" Saunders' C-Town Cruisers and Dan "Boots" Longenette and Pepsi's Auto Smarts Cruise and Ride had a full slate of events this season compared to last year. The two combined to host more than 50 shows in Central Ohio!

Following a two and three-year absence respectively, the cruise-in at Chesrown Chevrolet, Buick, GMC in Delaware, and the car show formerly known as On the Rocks in Dublin returned in 2021.

Unfortunately, not every event came back. Missing this season was the USA Days Car Show in Centerburg, Cruisin' For a Cause, one of my favorites, at the Discover Church in Dublin, the downtown Lithopolis show on Memorial Day, the Canal Winchester Labor Day car show, and the Spring Fling (it plans to be back in 2022) just to name a few of the missing shows this year.

The biggest shocker of the season came in June when it was announced after 12 years that Colo's Classic Car Show at the Columbus Zoo was canceled. A lot of rumors floated around as to the reason for the cancellation but the Zoo never put out an "official" statement as far as I know.

After hosting no shows in 2020, The Rod Knockers Car Club out of Marion and the Mid Ohio Cruisers Club out of Marysville returned with their monthly car shows. The Mid Ohio Cruisers show had a new home at the Burger King on Route 31. It took a few shows for everyone to get adjusted to the new location. No question, both clubs continue to put on the best no registration fee car shows in Central Ohio.

The weekly Thursday cruise-in at the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City continued its reign as the king of Central Ohio cruise-ins. The cruise-ins started two weeks earlier this year. It was attended by more than 300 cars seven times during the summer. It set an all-time attendance record of 439 cars on the last cruise-in of the year. A whopping 2900 vehicles were registered in 2021.

Looking back over the year, I can't say there were any shows I attended that were truly outstanding. At the same time, I can't say I attended any that were horrible, either.

The Empty Pockets Cruisers hosted four shows this year instead of their usual three. All four shows were well done. Their Trunk or Treat show continues to be one of my favorites. I always say it takes car people to put on a good car show.

Shows that I participated in for the first time included the All Corvette Gathering, Hosanna Lutheran Church Car Show, Mechanicsburg First Responders Car Show, Blackwing Shooting Center Summer Blast, Farrows Hot Rods and Handlebars, and Tolles Career and Technical Center Car and Craft Show. I was a spectator at my first Italian Gathering and Kreiger Ford Mustang and All Ford Show.

Buckeye Cruzin' at Ohio Stadium gets the award for the most expensive registration fee. Although to be fair, the $175 fee went to support the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer. It was a fun event until the engine revving got out of hand and forced me to leave.

The most chaotic event this year was the Jax Wax Street Madness in July. The title gave a pretty good description of the event. Between the steady line of cars trying to get into the parking area and the hundreds of car audio systems blaring, I had a pounding headache by the time I left.

Heels and Wheels at the Vanity Gentlemen's Club was the most "adult" car show I attended. The Mayor had a couple of huge assets that were hard to overlook. Those who attended the show will know what I'm talking about.

Frank Sanborn gets this year's most miles traveled award. Not only did Frank attend shows in Central Ohio, but he also traveled to events in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Bowling Green, Kentucky, Fairmount and Gas City Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Not So Good:

Some not-so-good news this year was the loss of some of our car show community members. Larry Bickers passed away in May. Many of you will remember Larry from his 2003 Mustang "Daily Driver" with more than 190,000 miles.

In September, we lost Jim Matheny. I never met Jim, but I'm told he helped organize and run lots of car shows in the Newark/Heath areas. He held positions with the Super Chevy Car Show Organization and Let's Go Cruising Magazine. For many years, he served as chairman for "Lite the Nite" and operated Jim Matheny Kar Shoz.

And finally, Terry McReynolds passed away in October. Terry was the Pace Truck Driver at Columbus Motor Speedway for more than 20 years. He was also an integral part of Pepsi's Auto Smarts Cruise and Ride team and a close friend of Dan "Boots" Longenette.

All three will be very much missed as will others who passed away this year.

This was my tenth year attending car shows and the first time experiencing a collision at one. A car leaving the North Hills Church of God Car and Bike Show in September pulled out in front of an oncoming car and caused it to flip around 360 degrees hitting a motorcycle and car participating in the show. This added a bit more excitement to the show than expected.

Another first in 2021 was my banishment from the Ohio Car Shows and Cruise-ins Facebook group in July. The reason for being banished was my disagreement with their decision not to approve the list of Central Ohio car events for the week of July 12-18. They decided not to publicize any events that might compete with their group car show at Knox County Fairgrounds that Saturday. Seriously? The group's stated purpose is to promote car shows and cruise-ins in and around the state of Ohio.

After 12 years of meeting on Saturday mornings, Columbus Cars and Coffee at Lennox Town Center was abruptly canceled in May after some participants leaving the meet displayed some very poor judgment. In November, the group started meeting on Saturdays again at The City Apartments -- formerly the old University City shopping center.

I know some of you may disagree with me -- especially everyone at the Vettes, Rods, and Classics show in August when a monsoon passed through Gahanna during the awards ceremony. But I thought the weather wasn't as big a factor this season as in prior years. Out of the hundreds of events scheduled only 15 were canceled or postponed becasue of weather. And most were postponed to a later date.

Speaking of postponed. Thanks to a forecast that turned out to be totally wrong (big surprise), the Performance Charity Car Show in downtown Delaware, Ohio was postponed from July to October. And boy did that turn out to be a good move. The weather on the October date was about as perfect as one could expect for a car show. The organizers liked the October date such much, they've decided to hold the 2022 show in October.

Top Ten:

At the end of every season, I post my ten favorite vehicles I saw at a show or cruise-in. Here are the ones that made me stop and take a second, third, or sometimes fourth look.

No. 10 - 2016 EZ Go Golf Cart model "Tow Mater" - Owner: Julie Brown


No. 9 - 1937 Humber Pullman Limo - Owner: Ryan Patten

No. 8 - Restomod 1969 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Unknown

No. 7 - 1959 Desoto Fireflite Sportsman - Owner: Kaylee Bickel

No. 6 - 1950's Jaguar XK 120 Coupe - Owner: Unknown

No 5. - 1947 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan - Owner: Clement Thurn

No 4. - Restomod 1967 Chevy Camaro - Owner: Ed Stizza

No. 3. - 1962 Dodge Dart - Owner: Steve Brown

No. 2 - 1948 Chevy Pickup - Owner: Sam Parks

No. 1 - Legends of Rock Custom Built Motorcycle - Owner: Unknown

Favorite Photos:

Take 5500 photos and there's bound to be some favorites. Here are the ones that I think best capture the season.

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

Final Thoughts:

2021 turned out to be another great year for car events in Central Ohio. Because of the reduced number of events in 2020, the sheer volume of events this season was staggering. There were a lot of Saturdays with more than 15 events on the schedule.

What I really enjoyed most about this year was the opportunity to get to know many members of the car community a little better. The people you meet and the friends you make are the main reasons car cruises are so special.

2021 also gave me a sneak peek at the future. The next generation of car enthusiasts is alive and well. They may not seek awards like our generation. And their autos may not be Chevys, Fords or Dodges, but they're proud of their rides and they like to hang out and talk cars just like we do. And that's what counts.

I want to take a moment to thank some folks who helped me compile the weekly reports. They reported on shows I didn't or couldn't attend (I still haven't figured out how to be in multiple places at once). Without their help the weekly News and Notes would not have been anywhere near as detailed.

My sincerest thanks goes out to:

  • Jeff Shankle - I know for a fact he took more car photos than I did
  • Dale Pearce - If Dale doesn't know about a show, it ain't happening
  • Dave Bratton - Great resource for show information
  • Mark & Cathy Krist - Did a great job of reporting in between planting and harvesting vegetables.
  • Dan Varner - Seems have the scoop before anyone else.

Unless there's some late-breaking news to report, I'm going to take some time off to recharge. I'm leaving for Florida at the end of December. I'll be back just in time for the start of the 2022 car show season. Look for the first installment of "Save the Dates for 2022" sometime in February. The list is already growing.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday season. I look forward to seeing everyone again next year.

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2

Published on 2 Comments on Central Ohio Car Events for June 28 to July 4, 2021
2011 Dodge Charger RT AWD
Owner: Tony Parker

We close out another month of the season this week. Lots of events are on tap for the Fourth of July weekend. The big event will be the Firecracker July 4th Show in Urbana, Ohio. It will draw between 400 and 700 cars depending on the weather.

NEWS AND NOTES:

The First Friday event in downtown Delaware, Ohio is reserving the same block again this weekend for classic cars. Cars are asked to arrive between 5 PM and 6 PM. No cars will be allowed in after 6 PM, and no cars will be allowed to leave prior to 9 PM. This is first come first serve so if you're interested in participating, get there early.

The cruise-in at the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Plain City, Ohio had another big Thursday evening. Close to 60 Cobras from the Cobra Show in London, Ohio showed up at the cruise-in. Overall attendance for the evening topped 390 cars.

To see more photos from Thursday's Der Dutchman Cruise-In, click Here.

Dan "Boots" Longenette and the Auto Smart Radio crew hosted the first-ever car show at The Point at Otterbein in Westerville, Ohio on Saturday. The show registered 57 cars.

One of the unique things offered by The Point was a canvas print of your vehicle from a favorite photo for $20. Our good friend, Dale Pearce, took advantage of the offer and had a print made of his truck. The end result turned out fantastic.

The Best of Show Award went to Jeff Fortner and his 1971 Buick GSX. Jeff's Buick has been on a "Hot Steak" lately. This is the third week in a row his car has received a well deserved top award.

If you've ever been to an Auto Smarts Radio show, you know Boots gives out a lot of "Category" awards. Click here to see some of the "Category" winners from the show.

Here are attendance numbers for some of the other area shows from this past weekend.

  • Surgergrove (Friday) - registered 80 cars
  • Marengo Methodist Church (Saturday) - registered 43 cars
  • Whitehall Church of the Nazarene (Sunday) - registered 60 cars.
Central Ohio Forecast
41°
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7:28 am7:47 pm EDT
SatSunMonTueWed
63/32°F
59/41°F
55/37°F
48/28°F
52/36°F
Weather forecast Columbus, Ohio ▸

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1946 Ford Pickup
Owner: Jack Powers

We start the fourth month of the season this week. Two car shows in Marion, Ohio and two Columbus Cars and Coffee meets highlight this week's list of events.

NEWS AND NOTES:

The weather during the first part of the Memorial day weekend played havoc with a number of events. Several were canceled or postponed. Those events that did brave the rain and cold temperatures obviously had less turnout than expected.

One of those shows that braved the weather on Saturday was Pepsi’s Auto Smarts Cruise and Ride at Ten Pin Alley in Hilliard, Ohio. Our friend Dale Pearce and his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup truck took the Best of Show award.

With improving weather on Sunday, the Moonshine Festival Car, Truck and Bike Show in New Straitsville, Ohio registered 83 vehicles. The car show associated with the swap meet in Springfield, Ohio had 45-50 cars in attendance.

With almost Ideal weather by Monday, Big Dawg and the C-Town Cruisers registered 120 cars at the American Legion Southway Post 144 Memorial Day Meet in Columbus. A lot of cars showed up at the event but didn’t register. By all guestimates, there may have been close to 200 cars at the Southway Post Monday afternoon.

The Best of Show award went to Kevin Foust and his 1941 Dodge WC 40.

Just when you thought June couldn’t get any busier, four more events were announced last week. This makes the total number of June events in Central Ohio at 47 right now not counting the ongoing shows and cruise-ins.

Central Ohio Forecast
41°
Rain
7:28 am7:47 pm EDT
SatSunMonTueWed
63/32°F
59/41°F
55/37°F
48/28°F
52/36°F
Weather forecast Columbus, Ohio ▸

2

Published on 2 Comments on Central Ohio Car Events for April 28 to May 2, 2021
2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab
Owner: Chris Kennard

There's a little more local activity this week. For those of you who can't wait until the weekend to get your car show fix, good news, you're going to start seeing events on weekdays from now until October.

NEWS AND NOTES:

I didn't attend the pre-cruise-in dinner at Der Dutchman in Plain City on Thursday, but I heard attendance was very good.

Shannon Rusell's car was parked under the canopy in front of the restaurant to honor him. Shannon recently passed away. He was a regular attendee of the cruise-in from the very beginning. I'm sure many of you will recognize his car. He will be missed.

The Car and Bike Show at Tony's Bar and Grille Friday evening in London, Ohio was the only judged show in the area this past weekend. The show registered more than 50 cars. This 1959 Corvette took Best of Show honors.

Central Ohio Forecast
41°
Rain
7:28 am7:47 pm EDT
SatSunMonTueWed
63/32°F
59/41°F
55/37°F
48/28°F
52/36°F
Weather forecast Columbus, Ohio ▸

Published on
1966 Chevy Corvette
Owner: Ty Vickers

I always consider the first weekend in April the “official” start of the Central Ohio car show season. Some may argue it starts in March but I consider those March events to be more like a Preseason.

Here is the first weekly list of Central Ohio events for the 2021 season. These weekly lists will be posted on Monday or Tuesday from now until the end of November. If you would like to receive email notification when the list is posted, please click the “Subscribe” link in the page header above. Rest assured, we DO NOT sell email addresses to marketers so you won’t get more spam mail if you subscribe.

News and Notes:

On Friday evening, both the inaugural Marysville Muscle Cruise-In and Spring Car and Bike Show at Tony’s Bar and Grill in London, Ohio had good turnouts for early season shows.

The Spring show in London registered around 45 vehicles. The Best of Show award went to this Ghost Busters-themed Dodge Challenger.

Due to the recent behavior of some attendees, the organizers of Cars and Coffee at Lennox Town Center have decided to CANCEL the Saturday morning meets indefinitely. They hope to be back in the fall with new plans. Here’s their Facebook post. There are always some bad actors that spoil the fun for everyone.

Central Ohio Forecast
41°
Rain
7:28 am7:47 pm EDT
SatSunMonTueWed
63/32°F
59/41°F
55/37°F
48/28°F
52/36°F
Weather forecast Columbus, Ohio ▸

9

Published on 9 Comments on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: A Recap of the 2019 Central Ohio Car Show Season

Now that the 2019 Central Ohio car show season has officially come to an end, it's time to take a look back at what was good, what was bad and what was ugly.

I managed to participate in 80 events this year. When you consider there were five weeks during 2019 where I didn't participate in any events, that's a pretty big accomplishment, even if I do say so myself.

I traveled more than 3000 miles to attend events in Centerburg, Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Gahanna, Hilliard, Johnstown, Lewis Center, Lockbourne, Marion, Marysville, New Albany, Obetz, Plain City, Powell, Springfield, Westerville, and Worthington.

Throughout the season, I took more than 9200 photos of cars, trucks, and motorcycles from around Central Ohio. Besides my car, Kevin Martin's 1962 Chevy pickup truck wins the award for the most photographed vehicle in 2019.

Before I get deep into the recap of this season, let me take a second to make the usual disclaimer:

The lists I'm about to present reflect my opinion and my opinion only of the events I attended in 2019. If you attended a show or cruise-in not on my list that you thought was exceptionally good, bad or ugly, please feel free to share it in the comments. Also, feel free to post a comment if you agree or disagree with any of my choices.

Okay, let's start with the GOOD.

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18

Published on 18 Comments on USA Days Car Show: Second Week for Double Awards

For the second week in a row, several cars received double awards. This time it was at the Heart of Ohio USA Days Car Show in Centerburg, Ohio.

The show presented metal signs to the Top 100 cars along with four special awards.

Two of the special award winners also received Top 100 awards. As I've said many times before, giving cars multiple awards is a great way to kill future attendance at your show.

And speaking of attendance, the event on Sunday registered 250 vehicles.

That's down from 387 last year but not bad considering there was a discussion at last year's award presentation that the 2018 show might be the last. I know flyers for this year's show didn't appear until the middle of August, less than a month before the event.

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The awards presentation at Saturday's Vettes, Rods & Classics show at Creekside in Gahanna, Ohio took a surprising twist when my Camaro was announced as the Best in Class winner for C7 Corvettes 2017 - 2019.

While my car and C7 Corvette Z06 do share the same engine, I doubt many would get the two cars confused.

I suspect my car was accidentally entered into the computer as a Corvette during registration. Someone saw the "Z" on my registration card and thought Corvette Z06 instead of Camaro ZL1.

Anyway, the Capital City Corvette Club handled the error with grace and presented my car with an Award of Excellence plaque. I just feel bad that someone with a very nice 2017-2019 C7 Corvette didn't receive an award.

Aside from the award mix-up, the 5th Annual Vettes, Rods, and Classics show continued to carry on the tradition as one of the best car shows in Central Ohio.

This year the Capital City Corvette Club got the city of Gahanna to agree to close the streets in the Creekside district an hour early - 11 AM instead of 12 Noon. The hour change appears to have made the initial rush of vehicles into the show area a lot smoother than it had been in previous years. I overheard two participants discussing how smooth the parking was this year. I arrived around 11:30 AM and lucked into a "Premo" parking spot at the corner of Mill Street and Ogden Aly.

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For the first weekend in April, there wasn't much to complain about weather-wise. The rain on Friday moved out of the area by late morning leaving a cool but dry remainder of the day. Saturday saw almost near perfect car show weather with partly cloudy skys and high's reaching the low 70's.

I have reports from three events that took place over the weekend -- two I attended and one that some good friends participated in .

The Vintage Auto Club of Delaware First Friday

The first event was The Vintage Auto Club of Delaware's First Friday cruise-in at Freddy's restaurant on Route 23 just south of Delaware, Ohio.

The club holds a monthly cruise-in at the restaurant location the first Friday of each month from April through October.

About 25 vehicles showed up for their first cruise-in of the season. A nice crowd of spectators was also on hand throughout the evening.

The club sold raffle tickets for door prizes and and 50/50 drawing. All proceeds go to support Hospice of Delaware. Our good friend, Tim Inscho, won the 50/50 raffle and generously donated his winnings back to the club.

It was great to finally get the cars and trucks back on the road and reacquaint with good friends after what seemed like the longest winter in history.

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