A classic car can be viewed as a prized possession or a piece of junk.
This past weekend was the 23rd Annual Ol’ Marais River Run put on by Ottawa’s Over the Road Gang. The car show is one of the biggest events the Ottawa community hosts.
The car owners registered Friday through Sunday at the Visitors Information Center northeast of town. The event consisted of showing the classic cars in Forrest Park on Saturday and Sunday with the big event Saturday. The ‘Back to the 60’s Cruise Night’ was the headliner of the event and took place in downtown Ottawa. The classics lined up along Main Street and took laps around the downtown while spectators admired the unique vehicles. Prizes were given on Sunday to car owners who
Over the Road Gang club member Kevin James said this year there were around 1,554 classic cars registered, up from 1,447 cars last year. Many of the car show participants were Ottawa and Franklin County residents, however, cars were seen with tags from as far away as California and Florida.
After many years of trial and error, the system of putting the event together has evolved over time. “The event went well, we had very few problems and cruise night was excellent,” James said.
The event brings thousands of people from near and far, including OU Senior Patrick Rockers from Scipio. “I like that the community comes together for the event,” Rockers said. Rockers said he likes cruise night the best because of the people, cars, and deep-fried Oreos. Rockers said his favorite car at the event was the 1934 Plymouth.
Classic cars from 1972 and older were allowed to participate. Many car owners bought the classic when it was brand new and have kept it up through the years, others have acquired their cars and fixed them up from scraps.
Sophomore Sara VanZant from Princeton said she likes seeing the Ottawa community out on one night “I like cruise night because it is the easiest way to see all the cars at one time,” VanZant said. VanZant’s favorite car was the First Generation blue Camaro.
James said the City of Ottawa worked with the Over the Road Gang to make sure the weekend went smoothly. “The City was willing to turn off the traffic lights during the Cruise Night to make sure the cars could flow through downtown,” James said.
James considered the weekend a success and looks forward to the future of the car show.