GRAYLING – Driving through Grayling the evening of Aug. 26 was like driving back in time. Cars from the 1950s and 60s lined the streets, girls in poodle skirts danced in the parking lot of the Ramada. The Old US 27 Motor Tour had come to town.
Craig Parrish of Leslie, a small town south of Lansing, began the 27 Cruise in 2007, making this the 10th Annual event. Drivers from ten states and Canada participated this year.
‘It’ unbelievable how this started and grew. We had over 650 cars registered and over 400 cars in Clare,’ Parrish said.
Parrish had been doing car shows for many years, and he found that people like to drive their cars. So he started the cruise. The tour starts in Auburn, Indiana and travels along Old US 27 making stops at 13 communities along the way, including Lansing, Clare, Grayling, and Gaylord; ending in Cheboygan. It’ a five day ride if you want to take the whole trip – which you don’t have to. And you don’t need a classic car to participate.
‘The number one question I get is ‘Do we have to have an old car?’,’ Parrish said. ‘No, you can bring any car you want.’
Parrish drove his 2014 Camaro SS Convertible in this year’ cruise.
But, as Parrish said, ‘Nostalgia sells’. And nostalgia is what brings a lot of people out to the cruise, whether they participate in the drive, display their vehicle at a stop, or just to walk around and look at the classics.
‘Everything was glamorous then, the music, even the cars were glamorous,’ Parrish said.
‘They (the participants) are here for the camaraderie – they’ve made a lot of friendships and come back the next year to catch up.’
Dave and Margie Schwartz of Higgins Lake drove their 1940 Ford Delux Sedan to the show in Grayling just for the evening. Ford retirees, they have had the car for about 12 years. They met Dennis and Judy Long of Grayling while there. The Longs brought their 1965 Ford Mustang to the show.
With hundreds of cars driving through a community, the show also brings a boost in the economy.
‘It has become an economic event as well as a road trip,’ Parrish said.
For more information on the cruise including dates for next year’ event, visit their website old27tour.com or find them on facebook.
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