The Saturday Nite Cruise at Old Town celebrated its 20th Anniversary on June 5th, 2010. If you love old cars and trucks, and have been anywhere near the central Florida area on a Saturday night, chances are you’ve made the trip to Old Town in Kissimmee for the Saturday Nite Cruise during the past 20 years. It is open to cars and trucks that are 1974 and older, and has gained world-wide recognition. Over the years we’ve heard many visitors tell us that in addition to all the typical tourist destinations the central Florida area has to offer, they always plan to make it out to Old Town for at least one Saturday Nite Cruise during their vacation.
While a traditional 20th Anniversary wedding gift is plates made out of China, the first 700 vehicles in attendance were very happy to instead receive commemorative license plates. Over the years the Anniversary license plates have become not only highly sought after collectibles, but also “badges of honor” for those that can display a large collection.
Typically the registration for the Saturday Nite Cruise opens at 1:00pm, but for the Anniversary cruises it opens at 9:00am, with cars lined up well before that time waiting to get in. Good weather meant that by the end of registration there were 768 registered cars and trucks in attendance this year, wrapping all around Old Town in the many paved parking lots. The band “Reunion” did a good job of keeping the toes tapping with many sets of live music on the main stage, and everyone was in a festive mood while checking out the automotive eye candy on display. There is no judging at Old Town’s Saturday Nite Cruise, so random registration numbers are drawn for the checkered flag winners, with recipients taking home pretty nice prize packages thanks to sponsors.
One of the things that makes Old Town cool is that they actually cruise the cars down their red brick streets at 8:30pm. This allows spectators to line the streets, and experience the unique sights and sounds of all the cool cars and trucks parading past. It really is a spectacle to behold, and there were literally thousands of spectators that were happy to take it all in. With so many cars and trucks, the cruise took extra long for the Anniversary, so nobody went home wishing there was more action.
Old Town celebrates the Anniversary of the Saturday Nite Cruise each year on the first Saturday of June, so it’s easy to keep this one in mind when marking your calendar. In the mean time, any Saturday night is a good time to come out for the “regular” weekly action at Old Town. It is always free to cruisers and spectators, and features live bands, eight randomly selected checkered flag winning participants, about 75 specialty shops, more than half a dozen delicious restaurants, many thrilling carnival style rides, and fun for the whole family. There is also a cruise on Wednesday night open to 1987 and older cars and trucks, a Bike Nite on Thursday, and a Friday Nite Cruise for 1975-87 plus specialty vehicles. For more info about Old Town visit their web site at www.old-town.com, call them at 407-396-4888....or better yet, come on out and experience it for yourself firsthand. CN
