MANSFIELD – Colorful vintage cars, loud music with a consistent beat, and picture-perfect temperatures on a gorgeaus weekend afternoon.
The Richland County Fairgrounds had it all on Saturday. Mansfield’s new venue, substituting for the downtown as the city’s streetscape project continues, filled in nicely for the annual Heart of the City Cruise-In.
Cars of all makes and models, some dating to the 1920s, lined the fairgrounds as car owners, sellers and viewers alike listened to the Mansfield pop band Ohio Express.
One of the older cars at the Cruise-In was Suzette and Bret Adkins’ 1932 Ford Victoria.
The car originally belonged to Suzette’s father, Ernie MacEwen, who bought it new.
“I didn’t do anything with it for the longest time,” Adkins said. “I brought it down here to my cousin and his wife. They’ve been going through everything on it, and it takes a lot of time. It takes hours. Hours and days.
“You’ve got to keep up with them. You’ve got to get them out there. You’ve got to drive them because if you let it sit, it’s gonna cost you. Trust me.”
Adkins’ classic car was older than just about everybody at the Cruise-In. It used to be a grocery-getter for her father, but now has a place as a vintage vehicle at car shows.
“I’ve seen a couple of (1930s makes) here. They’re amazing cars,” Adkins said. “Even if they’ve got a fiberglass body … they’re amazing cars.”
The Victoria has a fiberglass body, though, as she says, “the engine is all Ford.” In fact, most of the car is, aside from the steering wheel and column, which are Firebird parts, installed because the original didn’t fit the custom-built motor her father installed.
Among the older cars were a couple of “extinct species,” as one sign in front of a Plymouth-brand automobile said. Plymouth cars were aplenty, despite being phased out of production in 2001.
Meanwhile, Ohio Express serenaded show-goers during the last hour of the Cruise-In on the fairgrounds’ main stage. The band played several songs released only during their time in Europe, intermingled with several of their Billboard Top-40 hits, like Beg, Borrow & Steal, which hit No. 29 on the charts.
