First cruise-in of the summer brings lots of cars and lots of people to Atlanta
 

[June 01, 2022]     On Sunday, Atlanta Tourism hosted its first car cruise-in at the Atlanta Truck Stop parking lot. The event kicks off a summer of regularly scheduled cruise-ins with the first event bringing in more than 85 vehicles of all sizes, shapes and ages.

It was a pleasant day, not yet terribly hot, but with some pretty hefty wind gusts throughout the day. None the less, those on hand seemed to be having a very good time.

In reality, the event while it is supposed to be about the cars, it was more about the people, for all over the parking lot, it was easy to see people sharing their love for vehicles with each other. There was a lot of visiting, sharing of stories and photos and just generally hanging out with folks with similar interests.







Some of the fun activities of the day included having a comedic caricature of oneself drawn by artist Dan Wild. The artists was having a great time himself, as he viewed the subjects before him and turned them into likenesses that were clearly the person posing, but with a bit of a humorous twist.

From time to time, some lovely ladies were scheduled to peruse the parking lot in risqué mid-century attire. The “Hot Totties Pin-Up Girl Gang” brought to remembrance for some the daring calendars and pin-up posters often found in automotive repair shops. While the bare shoulders and knee length skirts would today seem to be pretty tame, in the 1950’s and 60’s “proper” ladies would not have worn such revealing costumes.

The parking lot was also flooded with good old rock and roll music, again, much of the material reflecting the 50’s and 60’s. Music was provided by JD’s D.J. Services.

The sound system on wheels also provided the gathering with announcements about the event in the parking lot as well as updating folks on other car shows and events throughout the region.

Of course, there were vehicles at the event that drew a lot of attention, some because they were old but seemingly in perfect condition, and others because they were rough and rusty and looked like they had seen better days. There were some very old vehicles and some that were quite new.

One big attraction was a 1929 Ford dump truck. The local vehicle is owned and maintained by a cute Atlanta grandpa and grand-girl duo. Grandpa was proud as a peacock to tell everyone that he and his granddaughter had worked side by side on the vehicle. He said she knew the engine and could do mechanical work as well as any adult male or female.



Atlanta Tourism Director Whitney Ortiz (pictured left) was excited about the day, and excited to show off a new feature of the cruise-ins. She noted a Route 66 Shield that was laying on the registration table. She said that everyone who visited the table was invited to sign the shield, which had been designed by a local artist. After the event, the shield will be mounted at the Route 66 Park downtown for all to see. She said there will be additional shields made throughout the summer to reflect and promote the Atlanta cruise-ins.
 

There are a number of fun activities coming this summer in Atlanta. Be sure to check out the press releases and calendar events in Lincoln Daily News to stay fully informed about summertime fun in our communities.

[Nila Smith]