Event Coverage We are Taking back Central In Phoenix Again!!! No, Really...

Hey gang,

A couple of years ago we made a decent attempt to revitalize the once insane cruising scene on Central Avenue in Phoenix... Worked great, and the same three of us turned up every week, had great time, but nobody else came to the party. Then our base location closed up and moved, and stuff faded again.

Well, a couple of months ago, our old location re-opened as another business, Burger Rush, and has been VERY accommodating to us wanting to be down here. So far, we have had an average of about 25 cars a Saturday, and some nights have been as much as 45-50! Now, we see cars rolling up and down Central, and soon I will be talking to other restaurants on Central trying to open more places to be in our quest to take our street back. IT'S COMING BACK, GANG!!!!

Join us down here at Burger Rush on Saturday Nights from sunset to when ever anybody goes home. The only thing I ask is that we patronize our host and buy something, if even just a drink. This is an on going thing, not just a special event like the twice yearly big Central cruise. The more of us that come down, the more fun we have!

Burger Rush is just south of Indian School, on the east side of Central. Come down and lets take our street back!

 

Wish I was closer!!

 

Good luck with it, Chip.

 

I'd love to come an cruise the gut with you guys, but I know the ol '32 just won't make it that far. Have fun! Haul ass!

 

Congrats

 

Thanks guys! The best part is it's working! 'Course, now it's getting hot out, so we'll see...

 

That's great news! I wish that I was closer, I used to really enjoy cruising Central. Bob's Big boy was the preferred hang out back then along with Wienerschnitzel. I had moved to Phoenix from SoCal in late '67 or early '68, can't remember anymore!! Most everyone was into gassers and there were some hot rods, but I had one of the only lowriders north of the Salt.
Since the kids still live there maybe I need to bring my banger out in the fall.
Here's a picture of my old lowrider just before we moved from SoCal

 

Bumpin' this up gettin' ready for the weekend!

 

Looks like a good time.

 

Chip, I have some medical problems right now, but when I get that handled, look for an ugly green model A or white/green '55 cheby or a black/silver '55 cheby

 

Please do!

 

I'm heading out as we speak! Burger Rush is gonna taste spectacular tonight.

Sorry for last week gang, I forgot the biggest party of the year was going on not more than six blocks away....

 

Were you able to cruise last night or did the "non-BLM stroll" affect you all?

 

Talk to Burger Rush to see about a cruise discount. Most cruise places offer 10% to 20% just for the business.

Someone from Burger Rush or from your group can hand out tickets to the cruisers for control purposes to get the discounts for that day only. No rain checks allowed. Burger Rush just might say yes to it. It's more money in their pocket from the cruisers. We do it here and the car shows and cruisers fill up the parking lots and spend their money at the hosting establishments. (Farmer Boy's mainly)


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This has been great. The Burger Rush has great food, and I am really enjoying our Saturday nights. I hear a lot of people saying when I get my car running I can't wait to come up, come up anyway in the family car and hang out. share in the conversation, and add some conversation of your own.
See Ya on Central

 

What a cool deal, especially to have accommodating businesses!

What is this orange convertible? Any other photos of it?

 

Worked out really well Andy. The "BLM" crap was the night before, and it messed up all of downtown, including the police flying a helicopter over Panda's dog park asking all of us to go home for our own safety.... Whoopie!

 

The orange car is a genuine Barris built custom '49 Ford. i don't have any other pictures of it in my personal stash right now, but I'll double check and tag you again if I find some. It belongs to Bill and Cindy Rudditch.

 

Thanks, found it.

 

That's great, Chip. One of these days I'll shock the shit out of you and show up!

 

Wish we could get something like that started here in my little town. Quite a few cars, both hot rods, customs, and just plain nice restored cars here to do this.
But all anybody does is go to so called "cruise ins", where you arrive in your car with your lawn chairs and park about 3 or 4 in the afternoon in the hot GA Sun on an asphalt parking lot with very little shade.
Car owners and others stroll around on foot and look over the "spit shined" cars, many of which haven't been driven since the last "cruise in", then return to their lawn chairs and smile at the folks who come thru with their little ill behaved turd children who always want to climb up on the cars. And you answer stupid questions from people who don,t know a Deuce from a '34.
Meanwhile an idiot on a PA system playing 50's- 60's music way too loud, and between songs he pushes you to buy "50-50" tickets. eventually the "judges" have strolled around and made their choices, being sure that the people to whom they award trophies haven't already received one this season doesn't get another.
Then the idiot on the PA calls out for the awards to be passed out and the "50-50" to be drawn, plus some trinkets donated by various businesses from the same tickets.
After that everybody just starts packing up their stuff and driving away, just about the time the heat begins to subside and it gets to be almost tolerable to be there, temp wise. Then in the Fall when the weather gets more temperate, they shut down till next year.
This, my fellow HAMBers, ain't how it was in the 50's & 60's. I seldom attend these events, because they aren't nearly as fun as the old days when you cruised up and down the main drag with drive ins at both ends and in the middle, where you parked, got a bite to eat, or a Coke, etc. and BS'ed with your fellow gearheads.
Sorry about the rant, but the street scene of my teen and early 20's days, compared to now is the biggest disappointment to me about returning to hot rods after a long absence.

 

As sad as it is, I have had a hard time getting folks to get out on Central and drive. I have come to realize that there is a whole generation of folks that have come into this deal since the nights of "cruising" actually took place. Many today, because of that and T'V shows think of Cruising as the lawn chair and spit polish stuff....

I find that saying, "heck, I'm going for ice cream" or some such is a good motivator to get people out in their hot rods that have never otherwise experienced just simply driving their cars. Phase two of this will come this fall when it cools down a bit, as I have already been talking to other restaurant owners on Central, and we will open other "cruise nights" which will encourage circulating to different places... But it's summer, so just getting ANYBODY out is a major week to week hurdle. NOTHING happens in the summer.

 

TONIGHT!!! 'Bout sunset, Meet us all at Burger Rush, just south of Indian School on the east side of Central. Good food, great friends, and good times! Come and hang out in our cities history of hot rodding!

 

You have pretty much nailed down exactly how it is in Fresnothing as well. Summer here is brutal and the geniuses that promote these 'cruises' want to start them at 4 and and end them at 7. It doesn't even get dark in the Summer until 8:30. I guess they want to make sure the geriatric crew can still make the early bird special at Denny's and be home in time for their bedtime at 9............it's pathetic.

 

At 78, I'm part of that "Geriatric crew", but you can ask anyone that knows me, I'm still a "night owl".

 

Nah, it's not even the geriatric set that drives this deal. 'Round here, I know most of those guys. They were the ones shutting down Central back in the seventies and eighties at 3am. They know what it's all about. No, it's the younger guys that want to drag out the lawn chairs, parking meters, drive in speakers, cry baby dolls, etc and sit there. They really have no concept of why guys would simply drive their hot rods up and down the street.

 

We used to have cruising in our town until the a few of the people would start to squeal their tires, drag race from light to light and throw their garbage and beer Bottles on the ground. We now have a no cruising law to take it's place.

 

Hey gang!

It's Saturday, and time for the reminder.... Central Is ON tonight! Ya, it's gonna be hot, but come out and hang with the cool kids, no matter how dumb we seem! Burger Rush is on the east side of Central just south of Indian School.

 

I'm hearing Dave Sexton stomping on the gasser down on Central less than a block from my key board! Almost time! Sunset is when it all starts around here.