A vast mix of genre’s show up every weekend. You’ll be sure to find a favorite!
Kari Strunk
Contributor

If you were to look at the calendar in our home, you will notice a weekly pattern. The squares labeled “Friday” are filled in with the words “cruise-in”. This recurring event appears every Friday from April until October. As long as the weather is decent, we’ll be there.

“Where is there?” you may ask. “There” is a sprawling parking lot at Mulberry Square in Milford. For us, it’s less than seven miles of the ol’ homestead. Some folks travel more than one hour to come to this weekly event. Yes, it’s worth the drive.

Here’s a typical first Friday of April: Once the husband gets home from grinding away at the hot rod shop, he washes up in a fury and the first decision of the night comes upon him: which car shirt to throw on? His wardrobe pretty much consists of tee shirts with car parts printed on the front. If he’s caught in a polo, you know I had something to do with it.

Second decision of the night – which ride to drive? Options consist of a ‘67 VW Beetle, ‘62 Chevy Nova II Wagon or the ‘32 Ford 5-window coupe. The journey includes numerous thumbs-ups and ear-to-ear grins from other motorists. There’s an occasional photo taken through the side glass of the soccer mom’s minivan. It’s a great feeling to lift the moods of the late model occupants.

We will arrive about 7 p.m. but some of these die-hards get there as early as 4 p.m. to secure a prime spot and to get an early start shootn’ the bull. You’ll see them huddled around in a circle exchanging long-winded stories of yester years. As we round the corner into the lot, we see heads turn as each new arrival comes onto the scene.

Third decision of the night- where to park? We slowly drive up and down the aisles until we find a worthy spot. Once the spot is chosen, we hop out and see who and more importantly, what showed up this time around. There may be that elusive car that has finally made it out of the garage after years of laboring. Someone may show up with their newest purchase adding to their already multitudinous fleet.

A typical neighborhood cruise-in may bring in around 100 cars or so. Not Milford-there must be over 300 cars here tonight. The Hoodlum Alley Boys of Southern Ohio put on one incredible cruise-in. You’ll see gassers, muscle cars, hot rods, customs, imports and bikes. You name it and it’s here. Don the DJ is always on hand rockin’ out the hits to keep our toes tapping.

We start to walk but don’t get far – as usual. Guys young and old merge upon us. It’s the same thing every time. We typically hear the following questions: “What car did you bring tonight?” “What part should I put on my car?” “What projects do you have in the garage?” I politely stand aside as the usual conversations unfold week after week. Eventually we’ll get a breather and sneak off to the sub sandwich shop for a bite to eat.

Most head home before the sun goes down but we’re usually holding out ‘til about 10 p.m. under the glow of the lights. You can leave as quietly as you like. That brings us to the last decision of the night: burn some rubber or just glide on out?

There are many decisions to be made in life. As this night proves, the decisions of a hot rodder on a cruise-in night aren’t life changing but they do make for a good night out.

So come visit us next weekend. It’s a no cost evening out. Enjoyment for all ages are to be had.