Sophomore Success--Coker Tire Cruise In!
April 23, 2012
Last summer we decided to hold a Cruise In event, in conjunction with the Coker Tire Challenge. It was a test to see if this sort of event could be manageable and fun on a small budget. It turned out to be a great event, so we planned for two in 2012, one of which occurred last Saturday, April 21st. It was an incredible turnout of nearly 500 car, with thousands of people roaming the streets of Corkyville!
Early in the week prior to the event, we noticed a huge chance for rain on Saturday, and that threat continued throughout the week, even on the day of the event, as the weather man called for a 50 percent chance of showers in the afternoon, which was prime time for our Cruise In. So, obviously we worried about that, as did many others. Overall, the rain threat may have kept a few people at home, but it definitely didn't hinder 500 of the finest cars in the South to join us for a great big party! The Cruise In officially started at 4pm, but people were here as early as noon to get a good parking spot and hang out for a while.
By 4 o'clock, the place was packed, with cars continuing to roll in by the dozens. We had folks from Nashville, Maryville and even Morristown, Tennessee, as well as a number of guests from Georgia and Alabama. We even had one fellow who cruised his '36 Ford all the way from Chicago, Illinois to join us...now that's dedication! With a huge crowd of killer hot rods, muscle cars and everything in between, we never saw a single rain drop during our entire Cruise In!
We had live music from The Other Guys, as well as great food from Southern Burger Company, as well as our neighboring restaurants, Southside Bistro & Saloon and T-Bones. In addition to all this Steve Hudlow of Hudlow Axle brought out his HUGE monster truck, as well as his TINY Volkswagen Beetle, which had been chopped, channeled and fit with a 1000cc motorcycle engine. That guys has a welder and knows how to use it haha! Hudlow brought a few other toys as well!
All of Coker's doors were open to the public, offering free tours of the showroom and museum, as well as the Honest Charley facilities. Outside, Debbie Mitchell sold raffle tickets for the Monster Cruiser bicycle. After all was said and done, she sold 542 tickets (one dollar each) and ALL of the proceeds went straight to the Austin Hatcher Foundation. There was also a raffle for a Cherry Bomb muffler, pinstriped and signed by Von Hot Rod.....by the way, Von Hot Rod paid us a visit and striped all sorts of stuff while he was in town!
[caption id="attachment_2485" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Josh Moore and Shawna Cash went home with the Monster Cruiser bicycle after their winning number was called!"]
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[caption id="attachment_2486" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Alec Johnson won the awesome Cherry Bomb muffler, pinstriped and signed by legendary pinstriper, Von Hot Rod!"]
[/caption]
So, without a doubt, we know how to throw a good party. Our biggest question of the weekend was.....WHEN'S THE NEXT ONE??? SEPTEMBER 29th is the date so mark your calendars now! For now, take a look at our pictures, and be sure to check out our photo album on Facebook for a BUNCH more pictures!
[caption id="attachment_2488" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="A little after hours fun with a killer '55 Chevy!"]
[/caption]
Early in the week prior to the event, we noticed a huge chance for rain on Saturday, and that threat continued throughout the week, even on the day of the event, as the weather man called for a 50 percent chance of showers in the afternoon, which was prime time for our Cruise In. So, obviously we worried about that, as did many others. Overall, the rain threat may have kept a few people at home, but it definitely didn't hinder 500 of the finest cars in the South to join us for a great big party! The Cruise In officially started at 4pm, but people were here as early as noon to get a good parking spot and hang out for a while.
By 4 o'clock, the place was packed, with cars continuing to roll in by the dozens. We had folks from Nashville, Maryville and even Morristown, Tennessee, as well as a number of guests from Georgia and Alabama. We even had one fellow who cruised his '36 Ford all the way from Chicago, Illinois to join us...now that's dedication! With a huge crowd of killer hot rods, muscle cars and everything in between, we never saw a single rain drop during our entire Cruise In!
We had live music from The Other Guys, as well as great food from Southern Burger Company, as well as our neighboring restaurants, Southside Bistro & Saloon and T-Bones. In addition to all this Steve Hudlow of Hudlow Axle brought out his HUGE monster truck, as well as his TINY Volkswagen Beetle, which had been chopped, channeled and fit with a 1000cc motorcycle engine. That guys has a welder and knows how to use it haha! Hudlow brought a few other toys as well!
All of Coker's doors were open to the public, offering free tours of the showroom and museum, as well as the Honest Charley facilities. Outside, Debbie Mitchell sold raffle tickets for the Monster Cruiser bicycle. After all was said and done, she sold 542 tickets (one dollar each) and ALL of the proceeds went straight to the Austin Hatcher Foundation. There was also a raffle for a Cherry Bomb muffler, pinstriped and signed by Von Hot Rod.....by the way, Von Hot Rod paid us a visit and striped all sorts of stuff while he was in town!
[caption id="attachment_2485" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Josh Moore and Shawna Cash went home with the Monster Cruiser bicycle after their winning number was called!"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2486" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Alec Johnson won the awesome Cherry Bomb muffler, pinstriped and signed by legendary pinstriper, Von Hot Rod!"][/caption]
So, without a doubt, we know how to throw a good party. Our biggest question of the weekend was.....WHEN'S THE NEXT ONE??? SEPTEMBER 29th is the date so mark your calendars now! For now, take a look at our pictures, and be sure to check out our photo album on Facebook for a BUNCH more pictures!
[caption id="attachment_2488" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="A little after hours fun with a killer '55 Chevy!"][/caption]