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On The Road Classics and beyond...
Origin of the POP Cruise Nights
by Tony Christie
The “Park on Park” cruise night started very simply, as a lot of idle conversation. Our club, “On The Road Classics” was formed in June of 1999. It is a local club consisting of Mundelein residents. To date we have around 14 members. We wanted to host a local event, but with only ten members at the time, our resources were limited. One of the club member’s wives was employed by Libertyville Mainstreet, and knew the head of Mundelein Mainstreet. During a casual conversation between the two, the topic of a cruise night was brought up, and some interest was sparked. On that lead we contacted Mundelein Mainstreet, and set up a preliminary meeting. The idea of combining Mainstreet’s resources and village pull, and the clubs knowledge of car events seemed a natural fit.
My father Pete and I met with Mundelein Mainstreet in February of 2000. Many obstacles had to be to overcome in a short period of time. It was decided to do some fact finding. The concept was well received by the Village; and the services of public works were offered. As a side note, without the tremendous help of Public Works and the Village, this event would never have happened. With all of the positive feedback that was received we decided to form “Park on Park” cruise nights. It became a co-hosted event between On The Road Classics, and Mundelein Mainstreet.
Without the tremendous help of Public Works and the Village, none of this would have happened.
Our committee gained momentum and size from this point on. Sponsors were acquired, a site plan was initiated, and flyers were made to promote the event. The club set out on a grass roots campaign to get the word out about the cruise night. We attended every cruise night, car show, and automotive gathering of any type to distribute flyers out to the automotive community. After numerous meetings, we were pretty confident that fifty to seventy five cars would attend the event. The very first night pulled in over 160 cars, and was well attended. We were ecstatic. Since that time, Park on Park has grown significantly. It has received rave reviews from car enthusiasts and spectators alike.
Pre-1977 Vehicles
The cruise night specializes in pre-1977 vehicles only. By limiting attendants to classic cars, the event draws some of the finest vehicles in the area. It’s been a hard sell at times to turn away owners of newer production cars, but the commitment to pre-1977 cars has remained strong over the years in the Chicago area.
