Cruise Nite 25 years of triumphs and Corvettes Novas Chevelles too

Brad Kernick describes the wee morning hours on Saturday of Cruise Nite as similar to Custer’s Last Stand.
“We will be downtown before 6:30, and there will already be cars lined up ready to register. And then when they start rolling in, it’s kind of like Custer’s Last Stand. They just keep coming and coming and coming,” said Kernick, chairman of Cruise Nite and vice president of Central Nebraska Auto Club.
This year’s Cruise Nite will be July 18-22.
A mere 25 years ago, Central Nebraska Auto Club struggled to get a little event called Cruise Nite off the ground. It began in 1987 as a one-day car show in downtown Kearney on The Bricks.
“We were having trouble trying to finance it. I remember one of the employees of the KGFW (radio station) said, ‘Let me help you.’ He was one of the employees in their advertising program. That’s when we really started to make it work,” said Conrad Smith of Kearney, a member of the auto club since the 1960s.
After a member of the car club attended an event in another town in which car owners cruised their cars through town, the club decided it would be a perfect addition for Kearney’s Cruise Nite.
“As more people got involved, the easier it was because we always got new talent and new ideas and new backing. Pretty soon it’s more a state project rather than a local car club project,” Smith said.
The show evolved into a two-day event featuring the Show and Shine car show on Saturday and drag races on Sunday.
“(Cruise Nite) kind of nourishes and grows the love of the automobile, which, of course, is what our car club is all about,” Kernick said.
As Cruise Nite grew and attracted more people, the auto club began to expand the event. It added a show and shine at Midway Chevrolet Thursday evening and at the Great Platte River Road Archway Friday evening.
In 2009, Cruise Nite reached a milestone when nearly 600 cars rolled into Kearney for the Show and Shine.
“That was just amazing how many vehicles were here. It was just incredible for Kearney to have that many vehicles,” Kernick said.
Last year’s event added a fifth night to Cruise Nite’s roster with a classic car tour of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Kearney.
With concerts and live bands, barbecues, a bike show, a parade, a burnout contest and more, Cruise Nite has evolved to appeal to everyone, not just car lovers, said Kernick.
“One thing I like about is that, yes, it’s a car event, but there are things on here for everybody. Even if you don’t care about cars, there are fun things you can do during those five days,” Kernick said.
This year’s Cruise Nite will feature many special events in honor of the 25th anniversary. Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan will be in the community signing autographs, and Pete’s Patriot, a famous drag-racing car from the Kearney area, will make its return to Kearney during Cruise Nite. Two-jet powered dragsters will entertain the crowd Sunday at Kearney Raceway Park.
Kernick said he usually attends 95 percent of Cruise Nite events.
“I enjoy just seeing lots of old friends that show up. I may only get to talk to them for two minutes ’cause I’m going 100 miles an hour,” Kernick said.
While J.L Schmidt, the director of Kearney’s Classic Car Collection, is not a veteran of Cruise Nite, his love for automobiles drives his excitement for this year’s event.
“I think just the parades and the Show and Shine (lets) the people have the opportunity to look at the cars,” Schmidt said. “It’s the history and nostalgia all wrapped into one. It’s pretty awesome.”
Cruise Nite will wrap up this year with a barbecue Sunday at the Classic Car Collection.
“Our motto here at the Classic Car Collection is, ‘We put the car in Kearney.’ It’s something we need to celebrate. It’s something I think is very unique to the Midwest,” Schmidt said.
And while there are events for everyone at this year’s Cruise Nite, many people, such as Roger Jasnoch, director of the Kearney Visitors Bureau, simply enjoy cruising around in their cars.
“It’s just fun to see people having a good time,” Kernick said.