|
Atlanta hosts cruise in over
Memorial Day Weekend
[May 27, 2025]
Saturday, May 24 was a nice
sunny day and the parking lot just off Arch Street in Atlanta was
filled with cars for a cruise in.
In addition, a food truck and several vendors selling various wares
were set up at Xenia Park.
Throughout the morning and
afternoon, cars arrived for the cruise in. At one point, about 36
vehicles were there. There were a variety of makes and models
ranging from antiques to fairly new vehicles. Some had been built
from kits or lovingly restored, while others were in good condition
when the owners purchased them.
Among the older models was a 1930
Ford pickup truck driven by Carl Brady of Heyworth. The car is all
steel and Brady has restored some of it. Originally, the truck was a
solid black and now it is red. He also lowered and extended the
vehicle. The truck had a tray on the side with plastic food, looking
like they were at a drive in diner. During the summer, Brady goes to
cruise-ins almost every weekend.
John Chambers of Atlanta just drove
his 1935 Hudson Terraplane Street rod just a few miles to come to
the cruise-in. The vehicle has a chevy motor, transmission and rear
end. Chambers said it also has heat and air conditioning, but the
switches are hidden in the glove compartment. Chambers built the
Hudson and has it painted in San Jose. He also owns a green Model A,
but takes his red street rod to most cruise-ins.
One vehicle was a Volkswagen Kit
car with a 1952 body style built in 1977 by Dennis Lynn. He uses the
car as a summertime ride, often driving it to cruise-ins. On one
trip, Lynn crossed the Illinois River five times driving over
bridges in Pekin, Havana, Beardstown, Highway 72 and Mendosa. In
2009, the car was repainted with silver flake, covering the gold
flake. Lynn will keep this car until it is undrivable. With his love
for cars, Lynn has had many different ones over the years such as a
1967 Dodge that he sold to a kid who said it was his dream car. He
also has a 1990 Plymouth Laser plus a 1989 Dodge truck he pulls
mowers with. His previous vehicles have included a Chrysler TC
Maserati and 1967 Dodge Dart.
Another person who goes to his fair
share of cruise-ins is Mike Turner. Turner has a 1940 Chevy Special
Deluxe that was once his father’s car. Turner’s father bought the
car in 1960 and had it painted in 1974. As the third owner of the
car, Mike Turner has kept it in the family. As the condition of the
car shows, it seems he has also taken good care of it.
[to top of second column] |
Jim Loeffler has a 1959 Edsel
Corsair convertible. As a member of the Lincoln Railsplitter Club,
he goes to cruise-ins many weekends during the summer and early
fall. Loeffler said the car is a survivor and still has its original
color. Other vehicles Loeffler has had are a 1959 Fairlane
convertible, a 1927 Roadster pick up and a 1962 Chrysler New Yorker.
Randy and Donna West have a 1964
Impala SS, which is the only one they use for cruise-ins. They
bought the car ten years ago and fixed it up. it repainted.
Originally, the car was a mist green, but it was repainted eight
years ago. West said he called the car grandma’s grocery getter
initially, but it now a muscle car.
One of the newer vehicles at the
cruise-in was an arctic white 2012 Corvette Callaway driven by Al
and Pat Kubon. The 627 horsepower corvette has a Kalahari interior.
Kubon said he tries to go to many different car shows and
cruise-ins. They recently drove over to the Lake of the Ozarks for a
show.
The 2015 yellow Corvette driven by
Nick Miller only has 12,000 miles on it. He said it is not even
broken in yet. Miller goes to car shows when possible.
Just outside the park across from
the Hotdog Guy statue a “Mayberry” police car was parked. Hopefully,
those cruising in were mindful of their speed.
Throughout the day, people looked around at the cars and shopped at
the various vendors. Vendors selling brisket, pulled pork, pork
chops, ribeye sandwiches and hotdogs ensured people had something to
eat. Missy’s Sweet Shoppe was also busy as people came in to get
sweet treats or ice cream.
Those who needed to cool off could stop in at the American Giants
Museum to visit and see a couple new artifacts. Outside was the
cowboy statue on the trailer ready to be installed on Sunday.
Saturday was a great day to be out and about in downtown Atlanta
visiting and having fun.
[Angela Reiners]
|
