With a little research aided by Google, I found out the traditional 15th Anniversary gift is crystal. Well instead, on June 4th, 2005, Old Town’s famous Saturday Nite Cruise in Kissimmee offered up a grand celebration, just like they have every year since 1990. And just to make my point crystal clear, there were gifts involved....in the form of free commemorative licence plates to the 500+ vehicles that came out for the occasion. Traditionally the number of vehicles in attendance would have been about twice that, but rain obviously kept many would-be cruisers away. Luckily for those in attendance, though there was a good amount of liquid sunshine deposited throughout the day, there were also plenty of opportunities to check out all the cool 1972 and older cars in attendance. You just had to step around the puddles....a point driven home to me by my girlfriend, who said my Indian name might have been “Walks Through Puddles”, since while looking through the lens of the camera I did find my sandals submerged on more than a handful of occasions. But hey, wet feet are temporary....and memories (and the accompanying pictures) are forever, right?

Mike T., Joe Rodhouse, and the entire dedicated Cruise Staff once again did a great job of keeping things running smoothly. But that certainly is no surprise to anyone, as they faithfully do so all 52 weeks of the year....rain or shine.

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. Let’s hope next year is rain-free, and the celebration will top the 1,000 car mark like it has done so many times before. 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, 75 specialty shops, 8 delicious restaurants, 18 thrilling rides, and fun for the whole family. There is also a night for bikes on Thursday, and a Friday Nite Cruise for 1973-87 plus specialty vehicles. For more info about Old Town visit their web site at www.old-town.com - or better yet, come on out and experience it for yourself firsthand. CN