Kearney 'Cruise Night' is a cook idea

For the young and young-at-heart in America, one of the favorite summer night diversions since the 1950s has been "Draggin' Main." It's a cool thing to do, dude. Really cool.

Made part of popular culture by such movies as "American Graffiti," the practice of "draggin'" has now evolved into a fun-filled, fresh air festival called "Cruise Night." The special nights feature classic cars, hot rods, motorcycles and snappy new models driving up and down the main routes of town, over and over again.

Sound like something you would like to see and do? If so, you would be fascinated by the Kearney story, where "Cruise Night" has grown into a weekend event which attracts hundreds of cars and thousands of spectators.

Doug Shadley of Indianola, who took part in the Kearney cruise this past Saturday night, said the event was a spectacular success. "This was the largest cruise in the 17 years the event has been held," Doug said. "There were 400 cars signed up (plus a number who weren't), and an estimated 10,000 spectators lining the streets."

Started by car clubs in the Kearney area, the event has grown by leaps and bounds and is now sanctioned by the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce. During the cruise Saturday night, it took more than an hour for the sleek, shiny cars to travel the length of the in-town portion of U.S. Highway 30, which runs east and west, and Second Avenue, which is the main north-south street in town.

All along the main routes, throngs of people were camped out, sitting on folding chairs, in the back of pickups and on top of cars to watch the slow-moving procession.

While watching and taking part in the Kearney cruise, Southwest Nebraska residents were asking, "Why don't we do something like this in McCook?" It seems like such a natural. Car shows in this area are growing in popularity, as shown by the events put on in Indianola by Doug Shadley and those in McCook arranged by Terry Sitzman. The Atwood Rod Run and the Colonel Cody Cruise in North Platte have also enjoyed great success.

Now, it's time for a "Cruise Night" in McCook, possibly in conjunction with a '50s show patterned after the very successful "Hot Summer Nights" programs sponsored by the McCook National Bank. "The key is to get a good organizer," Shadley said. Anyone interested? Cruise Night would be a great thing for all of us who like cars.