The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Classic car cruise part of SummerFest activities
By Jackie Smith, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: June 26, 2008
The Chelsea Classic Cruisers will drive into town July 25 as part of the 2008 SummerFest.
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Former Cruisers club president and Chelsea resident Fred Hoffman says between 200 and 300 cars will be on display that Friday. The event begins with registration at 4 p.m. and ends with an award presentation at 8 p.m.
"We have some really good-looking cars," club member Lana Leisinger said.
From Oldsmobiles, Fords, Chevrolets, hot rods and restored trucks, a diverse group of vehicles will bring people from surrounding areas for this popular event.
"Cars are part of the club, but also are a means and way for us to get together," Hoffman said. "It's an opportunity for us to be with people with similar interests."
Club members and fellow car enthusiasts from Stockbridge, Dexter, Jackson, Ann Arbor, Grass Lake and other areas participate in the annual SummerFest "cruise-in."
Ron Branham, a member of the club for nearly six years, is the current president. He also plays the music and makes announcements for many of these events.
"Everyone has their hobbies," he said. "This is a car show for people to walk down memory lane."
Branham says the only criteria to be a part of the CCC is to own a classic car or be in the process of restoring one. But the line to be considered a classic is drawn at models from the 1980s.
People frequently spend one to two years and thousands of dollars in restoration of their classic cruisers, he said.
The club originated in early 1992 and shows began in July of that year.
"We're about cars. We cruise. We go to other car shows," Leisinger said. "You end up with people from all over, as they kind of know someone (in the club)."
Within its first few years, the name for this car-loving group of people became the Chelsea Classic Cruisers. Some of their earlier shows included cruise-ins at the Chelsea Fairgrounds and down Main Street.
Leisinger, who owns a 1952 Ford, calls herself the "game lady" for other club events like the Wendy's cruise-in, where 1950s-style music is played, making the cars not the only classic aspect of their shows.
At the beginning of each year, club members meet to elect officers, and on the fourth Tuesday in April they discuss cruise-ins for the rest of the year.
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