Sedgwick County • Julesburg, Ovid, Sedgwick
Cruise Night in Julesburg brings out a collection of iconic cars
The Cruise Night is a fun way to kick off the Tri-State Hot Rod Revival
More Information Hippodrome Arts Centre: hippodromeartscentre.com Julesburg Drag Strip: julesburgdragracing.com Tri-State Hot Rod Revival: facebook.com/ TriStateHotRodRevival
By Brittany Anas
A
t the annual Cruise Night in Julesburg, iconic American cars take to main street for a slow stroll. Attendees are likely to spot hot rods painted with flames and sleek vintage Corvettes with candy colored paint jobs. Equipped with power and grace, these classics are joined by Mustangs from the ‘60s that exude youthful exuberance and stylish Chevrolet Bel Airs that have a way of conjuring up images of diners and sock hops. This year’s Cruise Night is set for 5 p.m. Aug. 20. With a tradition of bringing out as many as 300 cars to cruise, the event is organized by the Hippodrome Arts Centre and syncs up with the Tri-State Hot Rod Revival weekend that runs Aug. 20-22. “We don’t do a car show, but we show off the cars,” says Marcia Hill, event coordinator at the Hippodrome Arts Centre. During the Cruise Night, hot
When more than 300 show cars converge in town, so do the enthusiasts. Cruise Night grows each year with cars and spectators, and with that, so does the evening's events. As an added attraction for 2021, there will be a live band and street dance in downtown Julesburg sponsored by the Julesburg/Sedgwick County Chamber of Commerce. (Photo courtesy Hippodrome Arts Centre)
rods and vintage cars are escorted by the sheriff’s department as they ramble down Cedar Street (which, for the uninitiated, is Julesburg’s “Main Street.”) Families can come out in their front yards to watch, or line up along Cedar Street. The Cruise Night becomes much like a parade of cars from yesteryear. While the event details are still being but-
toned up, organizers hope to have live music (sponsored by the Julesburg/Sedgwick County Chamber), food trucks, and oldfashioned carnival games. Hill says the Cruise Night serves as a way to get people, well, revved up, for the Tri-State Hot Rod Revival. Back in 2017, and ahead of the hot rod revival, the Hippodrome played a special
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622 W. 1st St., Julesburg, CO
screening of “American Graffiti,” a film set in the 1960s about high school grads spending a final night cruising the strip with their friends before departing for college. Now, the Cruise Night is a tradition that helps kick off the Tri-State Hot Rod Revival weekend, which is in its sixth year. Held annually at the Julesburg Dragstrip, which is the oldest drag racing track in the country, the hot rod revival weekend draws crowds numbering 2,000 to 3,000 people, says Todd Barowsky, who manages the track. The event got its start after a fan suggested it, and during the anticipated revival vintage gassers and dragsters with powerful engines from the 1950s and ‘60s take to the track. “It was a hit, and it’s gotten so big, especially for a little town,” Barowsky says. “The heritage of drag racing comes back to life.”
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