Rainy start to Super Cruise
Today’s Salem Super Cruise activities:
• Car show, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Donnell Ford
• Arts & Crafts Vendor Show, 2 to 10 p.m., South Broadway
• Bike Show/Night, 4 to 11 p.m., Salem Eagles
• Antique Car Show, 5 to 8 p.m., Centennial Park
• SOBOS band, 7 to 10 p.m., Broadway Stage
• Route 45 band, 7 to 10 p.m., Donnell Ford Stage
• Cowboy Up band, 7 to 10 p.m., Salem Eagles
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SALEM — Organizers for the Salem Super Cruise planned everything down to the last detail, but Gene Johnson said the one thing they can’t control is the weather.
Mother Nature rained on the Super Cruise kickoff Thursday night, scaring off some car owners and antique tractor owners, and delaying Mayor John Berlin saying “Start Your Engines” until tonight.
The wet weather didn’t seem to keep people away, though, as community members armed with umbrellas visited the vendor stands on South Broadway and the municipal lot off of Pershing and South Lundy Avenue.
Johnson’s hoping for better weather today and the rest of the weekend. At one point, the main show lot was nearly empty, but once the rain let up, the cars came, along with the people.
Mick Orosz, who’s in charge of the vendors, said that’s just part of the business.
“You can’t get all perfect days,” he said.
The last cruise in 2019 had great weather, then last year was canceled due to the pandemic. For many vendors, he said this was their first event for the summer.
The Salem Super Cruise has 25 vendors in the two main areas, South Broadway and the show lot at Pershing and South Lundy.
He’s hoping for better weather today and Saturday, since that’s traditionally when the bigger crowds show up. There were also some vendors open on East State Street by the Masonic Temple building and some people set up in chairs under overhangs along East State Street downtown watching cars go by.
The band, Along for the Ride, played on the Broadway stage and had an audience.
The consensus was that the weather will be better for the rest of the cruise.
If the weather permits, the Goodyear blimp is scheduled to fly over this afternoon sometime between noon and 5 p.m. The restored Giant Frostop Mug had been out at Bailey Financial and is expected to be there again tonight and then at the main cruise lot Saturday and Sunday.