At the Block-a-Chip Mentor Cruise-In, there were plenty of opportunities for car enthusiasts to rev their engines.
From muscle cars to century-old classics to flashy new vehicles, the parking lots of the Mentor Civic Center Complex were packed with car owners, collectors and families enjoying the pleasant weather on August 10.
While many of the vehicles on display had been demonstrated before by experienced car owners, Linda Reho of Mentor was attending the annual car cruise for the first time.
Reho’s company, Insurance Rescue, offers health and life insurance with a focus on veterans and retirees. During the pandemic years, she was browsing online and discovered a 1954 Packard Henney Junior Ambulance. She thought it would be a nice addition to her company.
“This is my first time and the people are all so nice, it’s a lot of fun,” Reho said. “It was quite a ride getting it from Minnesota after it was in a New York museum and finding a place big enough to keep it, but I also had so many mishaps. But I figured, I live in Mentor, the show is in Mentor, so I hope I can come here, and I have.”
Reho’s ambulance not only runs, it has a working siren and all the amenities in the back. It was one of the most popular vehicles at the event, which was first held in 2002 and attracts over 800 vehicles and 2,500 spectators each year.
Mentor City Councilman Scott Marn, a car enthusiast himself and owner of a 1968 Pontiac GTO with 36,000 original miles, was on hand and said he gets a lot of feedback from residents about the event and recognizes that it is a popular annual fixture in town.
“It’s about the community and everyone who loves cars,” Marn said. “A lot of places have shows like this more often, sometimes once a week, but we decided to make it an annual event and people really love it.”
Tom Konitsky and his son Gus showed their 1955 CJ5, a military jeep used during the 1960 riots.
Tom is a firefighter and said that in his free time he enjoys driving his vehicle to car shows and frequently attends events in Painesville.
Gus wore military clothing to match the era of the Jeep that Tom had purchased in New Mexico and had taken great pleasure in converting into an authentic vehicle of its kind.
“We come from a military family and I have celebrated and appreciated the military my whole life,” Tom said. “We are slowly getting all the pieces we need. It’s been a fun project.”
Some of the area’s most popular food trucks were on site, including East Coast Custard, Just Wing’n It, Moose’s Tornado Potatoes and Kettle Corn.
WIXY-1260 was at the Civic Center, taking requests and broadcasting live on site.
Registered classic car owners received gift bags and dashboard plaques as well as a free ticket to the main prizes.
Admission and parking were free.
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