Car enthusiasts braved the rain to display their vehicles, both old and new, for the first La Center Farmers Market Cruise-In on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 26 at the La Center Church.
Pastor Michael Kirkman said La Center Church leaders wanted to provide a place for community members to feel connected again after months of isolation caused by the pandemic.
Because the annual La Center Our Days celebration was canceled again this year, Kirkman said the church decided to bring some local traditions to the market by organizing the event.
“With the shutdowns because of the (COVID-19) virus, we've just been so isolated as a community and as individuals,” he said.
About 50 cars and two antique tractors registered for the event, Kirkman said. Typically, the farmers market brings in 25 vendors but the number increased for the cruise-in.
“The new vendors really want to come back next year, which is cool,” he said.
In addition to the cruise in, attendees could hear live music, watch the beautiful baby contest, participate in a pie-eating contest, try their luck at bingo, or say hello to Curly the Camel from Nativity Ridge Farm in La Center.
“It’s not all the church. It's really been a church-community partnership especially for (the cruise-in),” Kirkman said.
Kirkman takes pride in his 1966 Mustang coupe that was previously owned by his mother, but the car was not at the cruise-in this year, he said.
The $10 fee for each vehicle will support the Loft Teen Center, which is operated by La Center United. The center serves local middle and high school students by providing a “safe and fun place to hang out with friends.”
The church started planning a weekly farmers market back in February. There previously was a farmers market in La Center, but it was discontinued a few years ago, Kirkman said.
The cruise-in attracted several local antique car owners, including La Center resident Dave Godel.
Godel brought along a dark green 1950 Ford truck to the event. His grandfather purchased the brand-new truck in July of 1950.
Godel, 72, remembers when he was growing up, he would visit his grandparents, Leonard and Mary Godel, every summer in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. They’d take the truck out for “dump runs.”
“I have memories like it was yesterday,” he said.
Godel and his father-in-law travel to local car shows together, usually attending about six a year.
To restore the truck, Godel put in a new engine, transmission, a fresh coat of paint, among other changes, making it a “hot rod,” he said.
“It’s an expensive hobby, but it’s never shined like this before,” Godel said.
Friends Randy Miller and Richard Misner also attended the cruise-in. Miller entered his red Mustang into the show and Misner displayed his 2020 Mustang convertible.
Misner said he attended the La Center Farmers Market every Thursday throughout the summer, and when he heard about the cruise-in, he thought “let’s do this.”
Miller had a similar sentiment.
“Good times, good people and good cars,” Miller said as he talked about his reason for attending the event. “We’ve been caged in the house for months, so it’s good to get out.”
