Local organizers are planning a “Cruisin’ Goshen Reunion Night” tonight as part of First Friday activities in the downtown, recreating the activity many teenagers enjoyed during the 1970s and 1980s. The cruising is planned and encouraged on Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m. and hundreds of enthusiasts have said they plan to attend, according to comments on the event’s Facebook Web site.
This week The News asked residents if they cruised when they were younger, and if they had any cruising stories. Their responses follow:
Maureen Russell, Goshen — “I lived in Michigan on Lake Huron growing up. It was a big thing to cruise. It was fun. It will be a good thing to start up. I like the First Fridays activities. I guess I’ll see my first cruising in Goshen Friday.”
Dorothy Shirk, Goshen — “I cruised one year, when I was a freshman at Goshen College. They ended it in 1981 or -82. (It ended in the spring of 1986) We would put 12 people in a big car and drive around. It was the highlight of Goshen. There was not much going on in Goshen then.”
Sparky Tyrrell, Goshen — “The first time I ever heard of Goshen was when I worked in Steamboat Springs (Colo.) and skiers were there from Goshen. They complained about the cruising here. It was 1979. I grew up in Detroit, where they cruised on Telegraph and Woodward. It was one big party. It’s a good thing. This will be a lot of fun Friday.”
Gary Miller, Goshen — “We drove around town when I was younger, but we didn’t cruise. I know my dad did. Closing the left lane on Main Street killed it.”
Jean Scott, Goshen — “Yeah, I cruised. Three of us usually drove around in a little Reneault. I was always trying to lose weight and one night I had a head of cabbage I was snacking on. My friend flew around a corner and I lost the cabbage. It was rolling around in the back of her car, flying apart. We had a good time back then, cruising in the early 1970s. It was wall-to-wall cars and it was really fun. After it ended here, we had to go to Elkhart.”
Donna Cooper, Goshen — “Yes, I know I cruised. I would yell out the car window to other kids. We would come downtown and see our friends.”
Ed Powell, Goshen — “I remember cruising here as kids. I grew up at Stone Lake and graduated from Westview in 1981. It brought a lot of people to town on Friday and Saturday nights. You could stay uptown all night. It was a way to meet others and when we went to the drive-ins, they could benefit from the business. They could do something like that now.”
Fred Zinser, Goshen — “I remember it, but I wasn’t interested in it. I came to Goshen College in 1974 and it was the hot thing to do. But I didn’t like it. I saw the hazard if an emergency vehicle, like an ambulance, couldn’t get through. I didn’t do it.”
Wilma Branson, Goshen — “It was neat. I love it. We all did it. And my husband and I will be cruising this Friday in a 1959 T-Bird.”
Jean Ryan, Goshen — “We used to do it in Colorado, in the little town where I grew up. It was so much fun. But the experience — it was a social thing, go up the street a couple times and then stop and get a float.”
Local News
Local residents remember cruising
- Local News
-
-
Super Bowl fans warned about measles outbreak
East Coast fans who left the Super Bowl host city feeling good about Hoosier hospitality may have been exposed to something less welcome: The measles.
-
Toledo Symphony, Goshen College choirs in concert Feb. 19
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra and Goshen College choirs will come together under the direction of Grammy award-winning conductor and Goshen College alumnus Vance George for a Feb. 19 show.
-
'Seussical' debuts Friday
Joel Lininger is a 15-year-old boy. He’s also been Tom Sawyer and the King of Hearts. Currently, he’s The Cat in the Hat.
-
Student radio station up for national awards
The Goshen College radion station, WGCS, 91.1, The Globe, has been nominated for 15 broadcasting awards by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.
-
Council bailout of housing authority not a done deal
Supporters of a $571,050 plan to bailout the Goshen Housing Authority and put the agency back on solid footing left Tuesday’s City Council meeting with new optimism, according to some people who attended the meeting.
-
Goshen winter guard members preparing for their big show
Members of the Goshen High School Winter Guard are working hard in preparation for their last regular season invitational. And that event will be a big one.
-
Police have suspects in theft of charity containers at Walmarts
According to a report by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department, suspects in the recent thefts of donation containers at local Walmart stores have been identified.
-
Museum programs to focus on barns
Two events focusing on historic barns are planned at the Midwest Museum of American Art, 429 S. Main St., Elkhart:
-
New library rental fees set
The Middlebury Town Council amended the Middlebury Public Library's community room use policy Monday, with the primary change being an increase in rental fees for the library's three community rooms.
-
Local artists win at regionals
Five NorthWood High School students won at the 2012 Northwest Indiana & Lower Southwest Michigan Region of The Alliance for Young Writers & Artists.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
