BY MAGGIE BEAMGUARD, Insider Editor
Motors were running on Sunday, May 15, toward the Seven Lakes West Community Center for the second-ever Cruise-In. This year’s event was hosted by the newly formed Corvettes of the Sandhills club.
Between 2-6 p.m. a variety of vintage and new makes and models filled the parking lot behind the Community Center and gleamed in the bright May sun. Raised hoods revealed the parts that power the automobiles.
A cruise-in is a casual social event for car enthusiasts, where folks are welcome to cruise in, talk cars, enjoy some music and a bite to eat before cruising on their way. You did not need to drive a Corvette to participate in this event.
Participants, some carrying beverages from Railhouse Brewery and others munching on Higgin’s Barbeque, roamed among the vehicles enjoying their contours and candy colors. There were plenty of Corvettes, but other makes and models made a showing: Oldsmobile, Mercury, Ford Mustang and Cobra, Nissan Z, Porsche, a Sunbeam Tiger and a roaring pair of Jeeps.
Bob Nelson, a Seven Lakes West resident and member of Corvettes of the Sandhills, coordinated the event. His own love of cars goes back to his mechanic days in New Jersey.
He became interested in building his own cars. His first was a ‘48 Plymouth Business Coupe, which he drove down when he and his wife moved to Seven Lakes. He also rebuilt a ‘51 Ford and a ‘65 El Camino.
“You know, it’s kind of a good thing and a bad thing but I put a lift in my garage,” Nelson says “Now everybody that knows me asks ‘can I use your lift?’ It’s neat because you get to meet so many people.”
In addition to loving old cars, Nelson also loves old music. His tunes, which he provides for a variety of car events, set the mood for the afternoon of fun at the Community Center.
A 50/50 collection was taken with proceeds benefiting the scholarship program for auto engineering students at Sandhills Community College.
This was the second large event hosted by the fledgling Corvettes of the Sandhills Club. The first event was a car show with 56 cars held in April at the location of club sponsor, Southern Pines Chevrolet.
All are welcome to attend the monthly club meetings every second Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kickback Jacks in Pinehurst. The annual membership fee to join the club is $60.
Future events are in the making.
“We’re thinking of having what we call a ‘Mystery Cruise-in Dinner. We would arrange a restaurant to be able to handle a bunch of us. And we take some back roads and drive around a little bit, and then end up at the destination,” describes Nelson.
More information about the club, including a photo album of member rides, can be found at their website www.corvettesofsandhills.com.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at (910) 693-2496 or maggie@thepilot.com.
