Summer is finally here, and with it comes back one of Valparaiso’s finest traditions. On Friday, June 9, Currie Motors Ford of Valpo held its very first Cruising Downtown Valparaiso event of the summer. Car lovers from all over the Region gathered in downtown Valpo to admire some beautiful vehicles, talk shop with fellow car enthusiasts, and, most importantly, have a great time.
The Valparaiso cruise nights started in 2018, with crowds of 400+ attendees.
Attendee Jeff Wothke traveled from Munster to take part in this year’s Cruising Downtown Valparaiso. He regularly attended Harley-Davidson of Valparaiso’s cruise nights in the past and was excited to hear Currie Motors Ford of Valpo was keeping up the tradition.
“I think it’s a great way to bring people together, and it allows everyone to show off the stuff they’ve worked hard on and have invested a lot of time and money into. It’s just really wonderful that they’ve continued this for the community,” said Wothke.
During the event, people had a great time enjoying some delicious food provided by Rudy’s BBQ. All the while attendees jumped from one car to the next asking the other car owners questions and giving their thoughts and ideas. It was nice to see so many people come together with a common passion.
Patron Dave Wasson brought his 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible to the event and enthusiastically stopped everyone who walked by, just hoping to have a nice conversation.
“At events like this, you learn and see something new every time you talk to someone. There’s a guy here who built his entire car himself from nothing. It’s stuff like that that makes these events so special and you just get to experience so much,” said Wasson.
Wasson emphasized how events like the cruise night not only bring people together but also remind everyone how important preserving pieces of history is.
“It preserves history. History is something that the younger generation needs to understand--they need to understand how things used to be and how those things shaped how things are today. Cars are a window to that,” said Wasson.
One look at all the people huddled around the hoods of cars smiling and having pleasant conversations was all a person needed to know that the first Cruising Downtown Valparaiso event was a huge success.
“You don’t even have to be a big car fanatic to have a good time here--it’s just nice seeing other people be so passionate about something. When you walk around here and people are talking to you about their cars their faces just light up. It’s pretty cool,” said Wothke.
If you missed out on tonight’s Cruising Downtown Valparaiso, don’t worry! There will be plenty more opportunities to kick back and get your cruise on. Cruise nights will also be held on June 23rd, July 7th, and July 21st from 5-8 p.m. So come on out and bring your sweet ride to the Old 3D Lot in downtown Valpo for an evening of unforgettable memories.
“I can’t wait for the upcoming events. It’s nice that people have a place to come together and connect in person rather than sit in front of a screen. It’s ultimately a great way for people to exchange thoughts and ideas about cars, get more people interested in cars, and just get to meet others,” said Wothke.
To learn more about Currie Motors Ford of Valpo, visit https://www.fordofvalpo.com/.
