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Cruisefest on Mothers Day weekend is the big kickoff of the long awaited show season in the Midwest. Midwesterners have worked hard on their rides all winter and are more than ready to start displaying them for the masses of people who are anxiously awaiting show season.A change in venue was in store for 2001 Cruisefest attendees, from its old location at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Dayton, to the new location at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Sidney, Ohio, approximately 30 miles north of Dayton. I was looking forward to the change in venue; since the old site had some problems, mainly traffic flow. When we arrived at the exit where the Shelby County Fairgrounds is located, we were greeted with a huge traffic jam over a mile long. This only got worse as the day progressed. This was the first indication that the Cruisefest traffic nightmare was still alive and well. Once on the grounds, there was a general lack of directing traffic from the large number of law enforcement personnel and Cruisefest show staff located throughout the show, allowing me to understand why there was such a large traffic jam inside and outside the show, as in past years. A word of wisdom if you're attending Cruisefest: Make sure your cooling system is in excellent shape and expect a major traffic jam. Now with that said, the weather for Cruisefest over the years has been unpredictable (after all it is Ohio, and can change in a minute). The weather was right on cue again this year. Friday afternoon was sunny and warm, followed by an evening thunderstorms that turned the fairgrounds into a wet, soggy, muddy, mess. But that brought in cooler, clear weather for the rest of the weekend. The weather woes only made things worst for one show participant as his convertible lowrider was found underneath a fallen tree limb. Ouch!Cruisefest is a major "player" in the Midwest show scene and draws in over 2000 vehicles from Ohio and the surrounding states. It is always fun to attend whether your ride is completed or still in pieces from the long winter hours spent in the garage. So many new vehicles arrive with their fresh mods completed over the cold winter months. The show brings out everything from the magazine quality vehicles to the daily drivers, and is a mix of sport compacts, custom trucks, along with plenty of rides executed in true Lowrider Style. But why not? The show is just a short drive from the home of "Dayton Wire Wheel Company."
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The lineup of vendors on hand was excellent, with several of the Midwest's big name custom shops displaying their goods. Wilt Built, Bewley's Body Work, and Drop'em Wear were just some of the major vendors on hand, with several less known shops showing the products and services they have to offer. Judging was done in drive-thru fashion, and was located in a large enclosed building that allowed the show vehicle owners to complete the final details to their rides just before being judged. There were plenty of clubs in attendance at this years show that ranged from large, well-know clubs like Negative Camber and Relaxed Atmosphere to smaller, local clubs like Cravin' Concrete from Lancaster, Ohio. Sunday Morning comes a little early for most of the show-attendees, as the night life at Cruisefest is only rivaled by shows like Texas Heat Wave. Hung-over or not, most managed to clean and pack up their campsites, then proceed to clean their rides for the last day of the show. After the last judging decisions were calculated, the trophy presentation started, allowing the "Bragging Rights of 2001" to be in full swing for the Midwest show season. All that was left to do was make that long dreaded drive home from a weekend full of fun. Casey JonesSome photo's provided by Chris Geeding
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