Cruisin' The Heartland

Classic car and truck owners gathered from all over the state to downtown Elizabethtown, Kentucky on the morning of Saturday, July 28, 2012. Despite the hot weather, spectators came downtown to look at all the multi-colored vintage automobiles and motorcycles. The city of Elizabethtown, Kentucky held its third annual Crusin' The Heartland car cruise.

Vehicles built from the 1920s through the 1990s were parked along Dixie Avenue and Mulberry Street. Spectators could also find things in the parking lots such as a swap meet located in the NAPA parking lot and also next to the old ACE Hardware store parking lot. The City Hall lot became the spot to be if you were hungry. Ice cream vendors and several food stands such as Papa Johns Pizza and Old Kentucky Kettle Corn could be seen with long lines of hungry customers.

Participant turnout is also expected to be higher this year than in the previous two. According to Steven Townsend of Code 3 Images who was in charge of media access for the event, said that about 1,500 participants were expected to show where last year there was around 1,000.

Cars aren't the only part of the event. At There was also a showing of the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt" inside the Historic State Theatre, and also a live concert featuring Antsy McClain the the Trailer Park Troubadours.

Other events included a shuttle service to the Swope Yesteryear Auto museum and a car cruise on Friday, July 27 on the square in E-town and Jerry's restaurant in Radcliff.

Above, spectators look a 1959 Chevrolet Impala owned by Stanley Lawson of Barbourville, Kentucky. Lawson's Impala featured the original 348 cubic inch V8 engine and four-speed transmission.

Chrome and polished aluminum accessories accent the original 348 cubic inch v8 engine on Lawson's 1959 Impala.

Greg Whelan traveled all the way from Meade County to show his 1978 Ford F-150 Custom. Whealan's truck featured a professionally built 460 cubic inch V8 engine and 42 inch Interco Super Swampers.

Whelan named his F-150 "Blackie II" because he previous owned a truck similar to this that he also named "Blackie."

Hundreds of people showed up for the annual "Crusin' The Heartland" car cruise despite the 95 degree heat.

A view from atop the H.B. Fife Courthouse shows the streets packed with vintage automobiles and hundreds of spectators looking over their favorite classics along Dixie Avenue.

Looking from atop the H.B. Fife Courthouse shows cars and spectators lining the streets almost all the way to the CSX Railway.

Automobiles of all colors could be seen along Dixie Avenue.

Food was also part of the event. Old Kentucky Kettle Corn was one of the vendors in the City Hall parking lot.

Automobiles weren't the only thing being shown. Above is a swap meet that was located next to the old ACE Hardware Store building.

Hanging on the window of Charlotte and Phil Dieckhoff's 1955 Chevrolet is typically what you would have seen at a 1950s drive-in restaurant. Also shown is a speaker that Mrs. Dieckhoff stated came from a former drive-in theatre in Vine Grove, Kentucky.

Last, but most definitely not least is a 1955 Chevrolet four door 210 owned by Charlotte and Phil Dieckhoff. Mrs. Dieckhoff stated that this car is a factory original with only 10,000 miles on it, and with all original trim and paint.

The original paint on Mr. and Mrs. Dieckhoff 1955 Chevrolet shines just like it did the day it rolled off the car lot.



Special thanks for helping make this blog possible are:
Steven Townsend, Code 3 Images
Neal Cardin, The News-Enterprise
Tom Williams, City of Elizabethtown
Hardin County Sheriff's Department

Let Freedom Ring: Stephensburg, Kentucky Fireworks Show

Hamburgers and hot dogs. Watermelon and cantaloupe. Those are the foods that come to mind the most when the words "Fourth of July cookout" are mentioned. Every year millions of people across the U.S. celebrate the birthday of our nation by having their families over for their traditional cookout, or simple get together.

Another part of the tradition for many is to attend the local fireworks shows. In almost every town or city across the nation, pyrotechnics shoot tons of explosives into the air which results in the beautiful red, white, and blue fire in the sky. Stephensburg, Kentucky happens to be one of those towns that carries this tradition annually. Every year hundreds of people come to West Hardin Middle School to see the sky lit up.

This year, for many places, had their fireworks shows either cancelled or postponed due to the record heat and dry weather during the summer months. Hardin County had been placed under a fireworks ban, which meant local residents couldn't shoot any locally purchased because the fire risk was too high.

Despite the triple digit temperatures and dry atmosphere, residents of Hardin County and the surrounding areas were able to see a fireworks show.

Above: Live music provided a start to the annual fireworks event in Stephensburg, Kentucky.

A local band covered songs such as "dreams" by Fleetwood Mac and "old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger.

The Fireworks event take place in the field behind West Hardin Middle School.