Lansdale Reunion Cruise Shifts into Gear

Get Your Motor Running ... Head Out on the Highway ...

If you're looking for adventure in your '57 Chevy or '79 Nova, it's going to come your way September 15 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Lansdale Public Safety and Parks and Recreation Committees gave the OKs Wednesday night for the second annual Lansdale Reunion Cruise.

The event is organized by residents Bill Henning, Deb Henning, Tara McNally and Ray Liberto and falls under the umbrella of Discover Lansdale. All proceeds from the event will benefit

The idea all began when the Facebook group "You Know You Grew Up in the Lansdale, PA Area If ..." started as a public forum to reminisce about days gone by. It is now 2,138 members strong.

One person posted about waiting to get her license so she could go cruising Main Street. Then another posted about watching the cruising out her work window in the 1970s. Before you knew it, the wheels started turning and Liberto and Henning had something planned for the by mid-August.

Henning said it best in the flier for this year's event:

Do you remember cruising Lansdale when you were younger? Spending a ridiculous amount of time (and gas) driving up and down Main & Broad St. again and again. Be it with your first car (that ran most of the time), your pride and joy street rod (shade tree mechanic be proud) or your parents' car (that you begged to borrow), you were out with friends or meeting new ones.

"Lansdale was a hot spot at one time for many years for cruising," said Henning during Wednesday's public safety committee meeting. "We invited everybody out for an evening (for the inaugural reunion cruise), brought the cars out, drove around town. Afterward, we enjoyed ourselves at Molly's or Montella's. I think it went very well."

He said they are doing it again this year, but will be taking it a little further.

"Last year we had a middle, but we didn't have a beginning or end to the evening," Henning said. 

Here's the plan for this year:

• 7 p.m. - Meet in Madison Street Parking Lot
• 8 p.m. - Pull out and enjoy the cruise route
• 10 p.m. - Special awards ceremony and a 50/50 winner at Railroad Plaza. There could be a performance from a band at Railroad Plaza.

"The idea is to gather at Madison Lot - all street rules apply and we are not closing the lot or roads. At 8 p.m., we move out and cruise the strip. We go out Madison Lot and it's similar to what we do at the car show where we have them pull out of Madison Avenue onto the street to park for the show," Henning said. "Instead of parking, we're driving through Lansdale."

In the 2-hour period, cruisers are encourged to stop at Frank's Pizza for a slice and visit other businesses.

"Coupons will be handed out," Henning said. "Last year, we had coupons from a couple of different businesses that supported us."

Lansdale Parks and Recreation gave permission Wednesday to use Railroad Plaza for the event.

Henning also requested an officer be present near the exit from Madison Avenue onto Main Street "to keep people from burning rubber."

There are some other rules to follow:

• Cars in the cruise must be road-worthy and registered with the state. 
• Passengers should wear seatbelts
• Nothing should be thrown from the car. It is not a parade.
• All traffic laws apply
• No alcohol on the streets
• No exhaust flames or hydraulics

There is no cost to attend the Reunion Cruise, Henning said, but participants are encouraged to donate a registration fee of $5 and a canned food item. Organizers will also be selling Lansdale Reunion Cruise T-shirts.

"All canned goods and money from registration and T-shirts will go to Manna on Main Street," Henning said.

Henning said there is a plan to have a car parked under a canopy at September's First Friday where volunteers will sell T-shirts for the event.

"We found demographics of people that cruise are my age on up," said Henning. "My parents cruised all the time in their era. It's another event we created to get people down into Lansdale on a Saturday night." 

Everyone in the public safety committee called it "a great event," including Chief Robert McDyre.

So ... do you remember the cruise route? 

• West on W. Main Street
• Right on N. Mitchell Avenue
• Left on Mill Street
• Right into the parking lot at Frank's Pizza
• Loop around back on Mill Street
• Right on N. Mitchell Avenue
• Left on W. Main Street
• Right on Railroad Avenue
• Right on S. Broad Street
• Left into The Pavilion Shopping Center
• Loop back to north on S. Broad Street
• Left on W. Main Street
• Repeat

So what will you be driving? 

"Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packing right here, all right: 411 positrack out back, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intakes, bored over .030, 11:1 pop-up pistons, Turbo-Jet 390 horsepower, we're talking some muscle."

Do You Want to Know More?

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/156109437799569/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/379312452118543/