Downers Grove "Rollin Kruisers" Cruise Night
|
August 15, 2008 - Well, today is my LAST day as the DriveChicago Classics Intern! : ( I am so lucky to have had this experience this summer. This is one of the best jobs I have ever had!
I was so busy just these past three days, trying to squeeze in my last three cruise nights. On Tuesday, August 12, I was at the Rollin Kruisers Cruise Night in Downers Grove at Fuddruckers. A good handful of classic cars were present, and I was glad that a few were interested in the program.
The Naperville Cruise Night on Wednesday, August 13 was a bit of a mess. When I got there, I soon found out that the cruise was being run by a production company that I am not exactly on the best of terms with. The man who owns the production company and runs this particular cruise night is one of the most difficult and unpleasant people I have ever met. When I contacted him at the beginning of the summer asking to go to a few of his shows, he told me it would be a "conflict of interest" if I was there. Obviously, he could not grasp the idea that DriveChicago is not out to make money because all this man is concerned with IS making money. I ended up leaving the cruise night to avoid a conflict. During this entire internship, he is the only unpleasant experience I have had luckily.
My last cruise night was at the Riverside Cruise Night on Burlington Road. I went to this one back in June, and I went back in July too, but the July cruise night was rained out. I was glad that the weather cooperated this month, and I was happy to see some familiar faces there too. I even saw a bunch of cars that I had already been listed on the website, which just goes to show how successful the DriveChicago Classics program has been this summer!
Thank you all who read and kept up with my blog. Have a great rest of the summer, and keep checking www.drivechicagoclassics.com for more updates on the DriveChicago Classics program. Peace! 
Perhaps Katie's all-time favorite, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door hardtop. According to the owner, this is the ONLY Bel Air with a dark over light two tone. |
August 11, 2008 – WOW! What a weekend! It started off on Saturday, August 5, at the Sisterfest Car Show in Des Plaines. It was the BEST car chow I’ve been to all summer!!! So many cars came out for the event, and I recruiting So many cars and their owners for the DriveChicago Classics program! I’ve worked with the man who ran the show, Phil, before, and he is always so helpful when it comes to setting up and getting people signed up. I reported live from the show on the radio (WLS890) with Paul Brian, which was a nice change of pace for my usually groggy early morning call-in. By the time the show ended at 3p.m., I was wiped out!
Then, on Sunday, August 10, the 5th Annual Classic Car Show Arthritis Benefit was hit, but another long day! Again, a ton of cars showed up for the great cause, and I made sure to sign up as many as I could on the website.
I have a very busy last week ahead of me. I’ll be going to three cruise nights from Tuesday, August 12 – Thursday, August 14. To see where I’m heading, got to www.drivechicagoclassics.com.
Katie's new favorite car, a 1932 Ford Model T Bucket Roadster. It might be our favorite here at DriveChicago, too! |
August 8, 2008 - I do not have too much to report today, but last night, Thursday, August 7, I was at the Dugout Drive-In Cruise Night in Burbank. I've been there once before, so it was nice to see some people I knew already. Last time I was there, everyone was so nice to me, and this time was no different. The owner of the hot dog stand, Mike, is awesome, and they sell the best hot dogs around! I got anything I wanted on the house! I got SO many cars signed up, so it was a great night!
I can't believe next week is my last week as the DriveChicago Classics Intern! Thanks for reading, and I'll be back on Monday to report how this weekend goes.
August 5, 2008 - I met a sort-of celebrity on Thursday, July 31 at the Hot Rod Chassis & Cycle Adult Beverage Night & Hot Rod Show. One of the mechanics, Beth, who works at the shop where the car show was held, was on TLC's What Not to Wear a year or so ago. The TLC crew actually came and filmed a follow up segment with Beth to see how she is doing now. There weren't many cars at the show, but it was still a fun night.
On Friday, August 1, I went to the Downtown Downers Grove Classic Car Show. I was overwhelmed by how many cars were there. I saw at least a few hundred cars lined up and down the street for blocks! I passed out all the fliers I had with me, but I still couldn't get to ALL of the cars before I ran out. Then on Saturday, August 2, I went to the Justice Classic and Hot Rod Cruise Night at the Craigors 2 restaurant. The man in charge of the show, George, was so thankful that I had mentioned them on the radio (WLS 890) that morning. He said that so many more people came out than usually because they heard me on the radio! I was just happy I could help someone out!
Sunday, August 3 at the Uncle Harry's Ice Cream Cruise Night in Addison was another fun night. There was a great DJ and the ice cream was delicious. I signed up a bunch of cars for the DriveChicago Classics program, and I met some really nice car owners too. Go to www.drivechicagoclassics.com to see where I will be and to learn more about the DriveChicago Classics program!
July 29, 2008 - So I do not have much to report on today because I was out of town this weekend, but I did go to the Glenview Stake N' Shake cruise night last night, Monday, July 28, on Willow Rd. I signed up a few cars for the DriveChicago Classics program. I have been to this cruise night once before, so it was nice to see some familiar faces! The man who runs the cruise night, Phil, is always so great about helping me come out to as many of the car shows and cruise nights that he puts on that I can go to. This upcoming weekend, I'll be super busy with cruise nights. I'll be going to four in a row from Thursday, July 31 - Sunday, August 3. Check out www.drivechicagoclassics.com to see exactly where I will be this weekend, and thanks for reading!
July 27, 2008 - Katie's been hijacked. Reporting from the "Indian Uprising" is DriveChicago's general manager, Mark Bilek. All I can say is "Who thought there were so many Pontiac fans in St. Charles, Illinois?" More than 300 Pontiacs were on display in various states of restoration. I ran into one gentleman who had a "original," and I use that term loosely, Hurst wagon from the '70s. It looked like it could have been used in a Mad Max movie, but nonetheless it struck me as a part of the Pontiac culture. There was another gentleman who had an original 1970 GTO Judge that had never been driven on public roads--you can check that car out here. I must admit that the Pontiac clan from the Crusin' Tigers club are quite genial with member after member coming over to say "hi" and thank Paul and I for taking a few minutes out of the DriveChicago radio show on WLS to promote the event. I only wish I could have spent more time roaming the vast rows of Pontiacs in search of that perfect GTO! PS, don't tell Paul that I met Linda Vaughn! 
We're not 100% sure that Katie was taking a picture of the Studebaker! |
July 22, 2008 - I had another really fun weekend out at the car shows and cruise nights! On Thursday, July 17, I was at the Paradise Road Cruisers' Cruise Night in Schaumburg. There was music and the weather was perfect! I saw my first Studebaker ever, but I couldn't convince the owner to sign up for our DriveChicago Classics program! :( I still got a bunch of cars listed for sale or for show on the website though.
On Friday, July 18, I was supposed to go to the Downers Grove Friday Night Classic Car Show, but it was raining, so the show was cancelled. The Downers Grove Friday Night Classic Car Show is held every Friday, so I rescheduled to go back on Friday, August 1 instead. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this time. Then, on Saturday, July 19, I took a pretty long trip to go to the Lansing Classic Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show. On the way there, when I started seeing signs on the highway for Indiana, I got nervous that I had passed Lansing because I didn't realize how close Lansing was to Indiana. The car show was definitely a success with perfect weather and a great turn out. I signed up plenty of cars on the website. At the show they were selling 5 cent hot dogs with all the fixings and 5 cent cups of root beer! I of course had to buy some! It was delicious! Make sure to check where I'm going next at www.drivechicagoclassics.com. 
Katie's fickle and she's got a new favorite, a 1959 Ford Galaxie.
|
July 15, 2008 - I have been out and about going to so many car shows and cruise nights! On Thursday, July 10, I was supposed to be at the Riverside Cruise Night, but the weather did not clear up enough in time for the show. We waited as long as we could before leaving, but the weather just would not cooperate.
On Friday, July 11, I was at the Roselle Main Street Cruise Night in front of the "How Sweet It Is" candy and ice cream shop. It was a hot one, and a bunch of cars came out for the event. They had a DJ and singers for entertainment, too. Then, on Sunday, July 13, I was at the Naperville Vintage Car Show at the Naperville Test Track. It was a perfect night for a car show! So many people were interested in the DriveChicago Classics Program. There was a live band to entertain the crowd, and I even danced to the YMCA! Monday at the Lemont Cruise Night was also a good time. The LOOP was there playing some classic songs, and I had to sample a delicious burger again from the Lemon Tree Restaurant where the cruise night is held. I am good friends with the Lemont Classic Car Club now, having gone to many of their events this summer, so I was sad that Monday night was my last event with the club. Keep an eye out for me at car shows and cruise nights, and don't be afraid to say hello! 
Katie's new favorite Car, a 1954 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery--customized of course! |
July 8, 2008 - Well this blog will be very short today! Since it was 4th of July weekend, I didn't make it out to any car shows or cruise nights. Yesterday, Monday, July 7, I went to the Winfield Cruise Night like I said I would in my last blog entry. It was definitely a success, and the weather was perfect for a cruise night. I helped a few of the classic car owners to list their cars on the website. Some of them were really interested about possibly being chosen to have their car shown in the 2009 Chicago Auto Show.
This week I'll be going to more car shows and cruise nights as usual! Click here to check out where I'll be! July 1, 2008 - This weekend was not the most exciting one so far. On Friday, June 27 at the Libertyville Culver's Cruise Night, only one car showed up! Then on Saturday, June 28, cars came and went at the Glenview Memorial Car Show, but none stayed long enough because of the on and off rain. It was not the best weather for DriveChicago Classics, but last night, Monday, June 30, at the Glenview Steak N' Shake Cruise Night, I met a bunch of friendly classic car owners and got a bunch of them signed up for the program! I treated myself to a Steak N' Shake grilled cheese sandwich to celebrate my success! Happy Independence Day everyone! I will be back on Tuesday, July 8 to tell you about how the Winfield Cruise night on Monday, July 7 goes. 
Katie's favorite car so far . . . a 1972 Chevrolet Malibu Chevelle. |
June 23, 2008 - Another successful weekend for DriveChicago! On Thursday, June 19, I went to The Dugout hot dog stand in Burbank for their cruise night. The Dugout hosts the cruise night every Thursday. There weren't too many cars there, but I got almost all of the owners to sign up for the DriveChicago Classics program. All the car owners were so nice to me, and the owner of The Dugout was such a great guy! He gave me free food all night, and they had some good hot dogs there!
Then on Friday, I was supposed to go to the Roselle cruise night, but it got rained out, so we are going to try and get out there another Friday night because they are held weekly. On Saturday, the weather was perfect for the Homer Glen cruise night, which was so huge that it was more like a car show! Over 100 cars showed up for the event. The Lemont Classic Car Club hosts cruise nights every Monday and Saturday. Since I was at their cruise night last Monday, it was nice to see some familiar faces, but it was also great to get so many more classic car owners to sign up for the program. The Lemont Classic Car Club even gave me a free shirt with their logo on it! All in all, it was an excellent weekend for DriveChicago! Check out www.drivechicagoclassics.com to find out where I will be next, and thanks again for reading! 
A happy classic car fan and her dog!
|
June 17, 2008 - I went to so many car shows and cruise this weekend! First, there was the Riverside cruise night on Thursday, June 12. It was in such a cute neighborhood, and a good handful of classic cars were there. It was WAY too windy to set up our tent and table. I felt so bad for the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts who set up their tents to sell food and drinks. I don't know how they didn't blow away!
Then I went to the Mt. Prospect cruise night on Saturday, June 14. It was another windy night, but I was able to set up my tent and table up until I had to leave, which was right when the wind picked up and it started raining. It was such a fun night though! There was a great band, and I met so many people who I helped sign up for the DriveChicago Classics program. On Sunday June 15, I was in Lyons for the Annual Father's Day Car Show. At first the day started out miserable and rainy, but by 11a.m., the sun came out and about 100 cars ended up coming for the show. My dad even came to the car show to see all the great vehicles. I got a few people to sign up with the DriveChicago Classic program, but I met this one guy who was the meanest man I have ever met! He was just so rude to me and everyone involved in the car show. I hope I never see him again out at any of the other shows. Other than him, everyone else has been extremely nice and helpful to me when I am out and about at all the shows and cruises. Last night, Monday, June 16, I was out at the Lemont Classic Car Club Cruise Night at the Lemon Tree Restaurant. I got plenty of people to list their classic cars on the website. The weather was beautiful, and everyone was happy to have DriveChicago at the cruise night. At the end of the night, I treated myself to the best burger I have ever eaten from the Lemon Tree Restaurant... MMmmm! June 10, 2008 - So I went to my first cruise night on Friday, June 6 at the Mc Donald's in Rosemont. Because of the extremely windy weather, about ten cars came out, but there are usually a lot more on better days. I told everyone at the cruise night about the DriveChicago Classics program, and I even helped about five classic car owners to register and list their car on our website on the spot! It was a great first night out! On Saturday, June 7, I was on the radio in the morning with Paul Brian on WLS 890AM to promote the cruise night I was supposed to go to in Lombard that night. However, due to the tornado warnings in Lombard, the cruise night got cancelled, so I couldn't go. Bummer... On Sunday, June 8, Mark Bilek went to a car show in Countryside. He said getting a bunch of people to register and list their classic cars was a success. It was the first time we had out squishy cars to pass out, and the kids really liked them I guess. Then on Monday, June 9, I helped work at the CATA Annual Golf Outing at Cog Hill in Lemont. The golf courses were beautiful, and I got to drive around in a golf cart all day. Back to work now, but keep checking back to hear about my upcoming adventures! Go to DriveChicago Classics to find out where I am going next! June 2, 2008 - Hi, I'm Katie, the summer 2008 intern for DriveChicago.com. I will be writing a blog about my experiences and adventures this summer. Even though this is my first full week of work, I am already super busy here! I just got back from a 10-day family vacation to Italy. What a great way to start off summer! Luckily, I started my internship a few days before I left for my trip, so it was nice to come back to Chicago without worrying about having to start a new job while being jetlagged. I've been busy updating the local car shows and cruise nights on the website. You can check those out at our local car show and cruise night listings. I will be out and about promoting the new DriveChicago Classics Program at many of the car shows and cruise nights listed, so if you are a car enthusiast, I definitely encourage you come to as many car events as you can! I will probably start going to some events this week! Every car show and cruise night that DriveChicago selects to attend will be promoted on the DriveChicago radio show with automotive expert Paul Brian Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. on WLS AM890. I have also been busy getting together promotional items and information for when I go to these events. If you do make it out to any car events this summer, look for the DriveChicago tent. I will be there helping to register classic cars owners and their pre-1982 vehicles online for the DriveChicago Classics Program. Not only is this program free of charge, but classic car collectors can list their vehicles to sell or just display. DriveChicago Classics will also give car collectors a chance to show off their cars at the Chicago Auto Show. Up to 50 winners will be selected to display their vehicles at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. When I am not working, I really love spending time with my friends, family, and my dog Jackson. I also like watching movies, listening to music, traveling, rollerblading, going to the beach, tubing, surfing, water skiing, and wakeboarding. Now that I'm 21, I really like going out to all the Chicago bars, too. During the school year, I am a public relations major with minors in Spanish and marketing at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. This fall, I will be a senior, which I am very excited about! When away at school, I am an intern for the Bradley Fund, where students call alumni and parents to try and get donations. I help run the call center there. I also have a weekly radio segment in Peoria, called Campus Weirdness. I talk about funny or strange happenings on college campuses in the United States. Thanks for reading and come back soon to hear about my first car show! |
