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Published on Leave a comment on Central Ohio Car Shows & Motorcycle Events | August 17 – 23, 2026
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:

  • BECAUSE WE LIKE IT: 1985 Chevy C-10 - Bill Wharton
  • AUTO SMARTS PICK: 1956 Mercury - Jan Hauger
  • MODERN MUSCLE PICK #1: 2005 Corvette - Mark Enyart
  • MODERN MUSCLE PICK #2: 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing - Kim Hawksworth
  • MODERN MUSCLE PICK #3: 2021 Chevy Camaro - Dennis Call
  • BOOTS' PICK #1: 1973 Chevy Chevelle - Rick Newsome
  • BOOTS' PICK #2: 1979 Pontiac Trans Am - Jay McCallister
  • BOOTS' PICK #3: 1957 Chevy Bel Air - David Elliott
  • BEST IMPORT: 2010 Honda Accord - Anibal Arroyo
  • BEST MOPAR: 2020 Dodge Challenger - Josh Drake
  • BEST TRUCK: 1972 Chevy C-10 Stepside - Doug Glassburn
  • RADICAL TRUCK: 1959 Chevy El Camino - Ralph Carle
  • BEST FORD: 1947 Ford Special Deluxe - Mike Mathews
  • BEST RAT ROD: 1969 Dodge Dart - Rebecca Morrison
  • BEST CHEVY: 1969 Chevy Camaro SS - Mark Evans
  • BEST GM: 1967 Chevy Camaro RS - Bobby Wong
  • LADIES PICK: 1978 Chevy Corvette Pace Car - Frank Deering
  • RADICAL IMPORT: 1993 Mazda RX7 - Joel Charrez
  • 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

14

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

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

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

This Year's Stats

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

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

Busiest Months

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

Busiest Week: June 9–15 (57 events)

Busiest Day: Saturday, June 14 (32 events)

Photos Taken

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

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

Featured Cars at the Start of Each Post: 33

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

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

Website Stats

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

Participation Award

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

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

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

CONTINUE READING THE RECAP

Published on
1984 Chevy 1/2 Ton Pickup - Owner: Jim Downing

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NEWS AND NOTES

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Attendance was back up Thursday evening at the restaurant’s weekly cruise-in, with 313 cars on display—25 of them making their first appearance.

Among the first-timers was Gene Flaugher, who rolled in behind the wheel of his stunning 1956 custom Pontiac Safari. His journey? A cool 76 miles one way from New Lebanon, Ohio—west of Dayton. When people are driving that far, you know this cruise-in’s reputation is shifting into high gear and reaching well beyond Central Ohio!

Creative Auto Group/Advance Auto Parts Car Show:

Twenty cars rolled into Marysville, Ohio, on Friday evening for the August Creative Auto Group/Advance Auto Parts monthly car show.

Door prize and 50/50 raffle sales brought in $70, which will go to support the Trinity Chapel Milford Center food pantry.

This month’s “Favorite” picks were:

  • Jerry Covert’s beautifully kept 1929 Ford Model A
  • Don Potter’s striking 1968 Ford Mustang GT/CS
  • Justin Miller’s wild 1953 Willys M38 Jeep with a twin-turbo Texas Speed LSX motor.
  • Kim Hawksworth’s sleek Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0

The next Creative Auto Group/Advance Auto Parts car show will be Friday, September 12, 2025, from 5–8 PM in Marysville.

READ THE REST OF NEWS AND NOTES

2

Published on 2 Comments on Central Ohio Car Shows, Cruise-Ins, & Meet-ups for August 12 – 18, 2024
1957 Ford Fairlane - Owners: Ken & Thelma Farmer

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NEWS AND NOTES

A break from the heat and humidity ramped up car show attendance this past weekend.

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Attendance was back up this past Thursday at 240 cars.

The most unusual car at the cruise-in was this Volkswagon Beetle. Just a little bit different than the typical VW Bug.

This 1959 Dodge Custom Royal also received a good amount of attention.

Creative Auto Group/Advanced Auto Parts Car Show:

18 Cars attended the August Creative Auto Group/Advance Auto Parts Car Show in Marysville, Ohio on Friday.

The heat and humidity decided to give Central Ohio a break this weekend which put everyone in good spirits.

The show raised $120 for the Milford Food Pantry. Gary Hamilton won the 50/50 raffle. He donated his winnings back to the food pantry. Way to go Gary!

This month's Advance Auto Parts Manager's picks were:

Russ Annis with a 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS

Gary Hamilton's 2001 Chevy Monte Carlo SS.

And Mike Robinson and his 1968 Kaiser Jeepster.

Carroll Community Festival Car Show:

The Carroll Community Festival Car Show took place on Saturday in downtown Carroll, Ohio. The Show was sponsored by M.G. Abbott Inc. Electrical Contractors and hosted by the Lancaster Car Scene.

Two cars shy of 100 registered for this year's show. There were awards for the "Top 40" plus Battle of the Clubs, People's Choice, Mayor's Choice, Police Choice, Firefighters Choice, and Best in Show Awards.

The Battle of the Clubs Award went to the Old Goats Car Club with the most members in attendance.

Paul Armstrong's 1963 Chevy C10 received the Police Choice Award.

The Firefighters Choice went to the 1978 Ford F150 of Jimmy Johnson (not the NASCAR driver).

The Mayor's Choice was the 1965 Ford GT 40 belonging to Charles Crites.

Not Shown: People's Choice - 1971 Chevy C-10.

The Best in Show honors went to Lisa Walker with a 1949 Chevy Business Coupe.

Some of the Top 40 winners included Lynn Raduege and Emma Roberts (2009 Ford Shelby Cobra), Doug Mullen (1970 Chevy Chevelle SS), Dave Mullen (1933 Chevy Eagle), Dave & Jackie Hiles (1935 Plymouth Business Coupe), Chad Herrick (2018 Dodge Charger Daytona 392), and yours truly with my 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.

At Last year's Carroll Festival Car Show, Lynn Raduege and the Old Goats members parked in front of the house belonging to Emma Roberts' grandparents. Emma invited everyone back this year and saved parking spots for them. Lynn entered her Shelby in Emma's name as a token of appreciation and it received a Top 40 award. For Emma, it was her very first car show trophy. That's how you get them hooked.

Auto Smarts Radio Cruise & Ride at Vance Outdoors Classic Car Show:

Dan "Boots" Longenette and the Auto Smarts Radio team were in Obetz, Ohio on Saturday for the 9th Annual Vance Outdoors Classic Car Show.

All proceeds from the show go to support Honor Flight Columbus.

Attendance this year was over 150 cars. The show raised $180,000 for Honor Flight.

This was the first "official" car show for Dale Pearce's yellow Chevy 3600 pickup. It received the Best Interior Award.

Bryan Mauger's 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo received the Cruisin Classics pick.

The Best of Show Award went to Mark Enyart with a 1962 Chevy Impala SS.

Here are more beautiful rides from the show:

Cruisin' for Cleveland Gary Squires Memorial Car Show:

The city of Marion, Ohio closed off 6-7 blocks of Main Street on Saturday for the annual Cruisin' for Cleveland Gary Squires Memorial Car Show to handle parking the 198 cars that registered.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Safety City of Marion in memory of Doug Martin, Randy "Officer Randy" Cleveland, and Gary Squires.

125 sponsor choice awards were presented at the end of the show. There were no specialty awards. This year the awards were Amish-made jewelry boxes made out of small logs. Very unusual.

The show offered a large number of door prizes. Dave Bratton won a $40 gift card as one example of the door prizes.

Here's a sampling of the 198 rides that participated in the show:

CONTINUE READING THE REST OF NEWS AND NOTES

Published on
1960 Ford Thunderbird - Owner: Don Davis

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NEWS AND NOTES

This past weekend was one of those rare occasions where TWO different cars received Best of Show awards on two consecutive days. Read on to find out what cars got back-to-back BOS awards.

Der Dutchman Cruise-In:

Der Dutchman had 231 attend this past Thursday's cruise-in. I was a little surprised more cars didn't turn out. The weather was great.

Creative Auto Sale/Advanced Auto Parts Car Show:

Creative Auto Sale, LLC and the Advanced Auto Parts store in Marysville, Ohio hosted its August car show Friday evening. There were 27 cars in attendance. The show raised $200 for the Milford Center Food Pantry.

This month the Advanced Auto Parts store manager picked his four favorite vehicles to receive a trophy. One of the trophy winners, Eddie and Rita Hampshire, drove from Indiana to attend the show.

Here are the manager's picks:

Eddie & Rita Hampshire
1937 Chevy Coupe
Harry Ours
1940 Ford Panel Truck
Gary Allwine
1960 Studebaker Hawk GT
Mark Evans
1969 Camaro RS/SS

Gary Zuck Memorial Car Show:

The American Legion Post 677 in Lithopolis, Ohio hosted the very first Gary Zuck Memorial Car Show on Saturday.

Gary passed away in May of 2022. He was a member of Post 677. Over the years, he was instrumental in organizing car shows at the American Legion Post in Lithopolis. Gary was also a member of the Lancaster Old Car Club and acted as Technical Advisor for the '55 Fords in the Crown Victoria Association.

The show on Saturday registered 84 cars. There were awards for the Top 30 vehicles, five awards for years 2000 and up, eight specialty awards, and a best of show.

Judging was done on a scoring method with the top score being 40 points. Two pairs of judges looked at every car and determined its point score.

Here are the "Just Because We Like It" specialty winners:

1948 Pontiac Silver Streak - Owner: Edward Gilman
1974 GMC Spirit - Owner: Wayne Withem
1967 Plymouth Fury - Owner: Dave Wasserman
1992 Motorrad Zweiradwerk - Owner: Kenny Mitchell
1970 AMC Javelin - Owner: Pat Lukasak
1993 Chevy S-10 Pickup - Owner: Lane Spelman
1970 Plymouth GTX - Owner: Butch Vollmer

The Best of Show award went to our good friend Russ Annis and his 1967 Chevy Chevelle.

Honor Flight Vance Outdoors Car Show:

Auto Smarts Radio and Vance Outdoors teamed up on Saturday to host its annual car show in Obetz, Ohio.

The show had more than 125 cars in attendance.

All the proceeds from the show go to Honor Flight. This year the show raised $123,500 for the organization.

Here are some of the vehicles from the show:

Dale Pearce received the Ladies Choice award for his 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup.

The Best of Show honors went to the 1955 Chevy 210 belonging to Bob Kraft.

Tomato Fest Car and Bike Show:

Ohio seems to have a plethora of festivals over the course of the summer. There's the Pumpkin Festival, the Strawberry Festival, The Walleye Festival, and the Bratwurst Festival just to name a few.

Reynoldsburg, Ohio bills itself as the Birthplace of the Tomato and has held an annual festival in honor of the fruit since 1966.

Part of the festivities is a car and bike show which as in previous years is hosted by the Big Dawg and the C-Town Cruisers.

This year the show registered 60 cars. Awards were presented to the Top 30 plus Best Truck, Best Motorcycle, Most Potential/Rat Rod, Junior Cruiser, and Best of Show.

The Best of Show award went to Barry McPeek and his 1932 Ford Five Window Coupe.

To see more cars and bikes from the Tomatofest show, CLICK HERE.

Dub Pub Car Show:

The Dub Pub Restaurant in Dublin, Ohio hosted its second Annual Car Show on Sunday.

The show registered 122 cars. Up from 78 cars at last year's inaugural show.

Proceeds from the show went to support the Back the Blue K9 Unit of Dublin, Ohio.

Awards were presented to the Top 35 vehicles plus Best GM, Best Ford, Best Mopar, Best Corvette, Best Import, Runner-Up Best of Show, and Best of Show.

These are the "Best of" award winners:

BEST FORD
1970 Ford Torino GT - Owner: Chris Kraner
BEST CORVETTE
1969 Corvette - Owner: Craig Grunkemeyer
BEST MOPAR
1941 Dodge WC 40 Weapons Carrier - Owner: Kevin Foust
BEST IMPORT
2022 Lamborghini Huracan - Owner: Elton Sargent
BEST GM
1965 Chevy C-10 - Owner: Ron Kinder

Runner-up Best of Show went to Mark Evans and his 1969 Chevy Camaro SS.

Russ Annis and his 1967 Chevy Chevelle SS for the second day in a row took home Best of Show honors.

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

The Crossroads Events team was in Lewis Center, Ohio on Sunday for the monthly car show hosted by the Buffalo Wings & Rings Restaurant.

The Camaro was the Spot-Light car for this month's show. Mark Lester's 1967 Chevy Camaro RS-SS was the Spot-Light Car winner.

The Larry Bicker Daily Driver award went to the 1981 Chevy Camaro belonging to Tim Richards.

Tim Raines and his 1951 Ford F-1 Restomod went home with the Best of Show award.

Real Church Car & Bike Show:

There were 86 cars that registered for the Real Church Car & Bike Show in Pickerington, Ohio on Sunday. The show helped raise money for the charity "God's Garage".

Chad Herrick's 2018 Dodge Charger Dayton 392 received a Top 10 pick.

For the second day in a row, Bob Kraft's 1955 Chevy 210 took the Best of Show honors.

Hot Summer Nights Cruise-In:

Downtown Bellefontaine, Ohio on Saturday evening was the site of the Annual Hot Summer Nights Cruise-In. More the 300 cars were in attendance.

The cruise-in presented plaques to the "Favorite 50" cars. There was no best-of-show award.

Here is just a small sample of the cars that attended the cruise-in.

42nd Mopar Nationals:

I can't conclude this week's report without mentioning the 42nd Mopar Nationals that took place at National Trail Raceway all weekend and some of the after-hours parties.

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

  • Jeff Shankle
  • Dave Bratton
  • Chad Herrick
  • Frank Russell
  • Frank Sanborn

I hope everyone has a good week! I'll see you again next week with a new list of car events and News and Notes report.

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