Plans have been completed for the first Kutztown Kruizz, to take place on Main Street, Kutztown July 25, announced Kelly Neyhart, event chair.
Hosted by the Kutztown Community Partnership, the event will kick off the borough’s bicentennial celebration festivities. All proceeds will benefit Kutztown Strong.
The Kruizz will represent a major departure from auto-related events that have taken place in Kutztown in previous years.
It has been organized and will be run by volunteers, including several committed car buffs with experience operating such events. Following assembly, the cars will proceed to their positions on Main Street and will be available for viewing from 3 until 6 p.m. Cars registered for the event include 30s roadsters and sedans, hot rods and 60s muscle cars. The variety of vehicles registered ranges from the 30s all the way to the 21st Century, including a 1941 2 1/2 ton (deuce and a half) WWII army transport truck.
Several of the restaurants in town will run lunch specials for drivers and attendees and menus will be available during the event. Three local bands featuring oldies music will set up at different locations on Main Street. Over thirty local merchants have contributed to goodie bags that will be distributed to the first 200 drivers that arrive at the assembly area, who will also receive a custom-designed dash plaque.
At 6 p.m., cars will leave Main Street and do a short cruise through the countryside before reassembling at the Kutztown Park for a concert at the bandshell by the Fabulous Grease Band. Following the concert, the movie “American Graffiti” will be shown at a different location in the park.
Kruizz goers will be entertained on Main Street by three local bands. The Astromatics, will offer 60s surf music, the Band of Brothers will play 60s rock and roll, while Shake Rattle and Roll will feature 60s rock and roll and blues.
The Lucky 13 tattoo parlor will turn its spacious gallery over to an active display of car and motorcycle painters, who will be working during the Kruizz, and will display some of their finished efforts. A show of custom motorcycles will be included in the gallery and outside the establishment and bike oriented vendors will display their wares. Also included will be a pin-up contest with prizes.
Drivers and their cars will assemble in the Kutztown High School parking lot starting at 1:30 p.m. and will be sent to their positions on Main Street beginning at 2:30, ten at a time. At 6 p.m. they will leave Main street for a cruise through the nearby countryside before assembling in the Kutztown Park. From 7 to 8:30, the Fabulous Grease Band will entertain cruisers and area resident at the bandshell, followed by the movie “American Graffiti”.