Flint Township View

Sloan Museum to host Car Cruise-In shows at Shea Automotive dealership




FLINT TWP. — Classic car lovers and hot rod enthusiasts will get three times the fun when Sloan Museum presents a series of car shows this summer.

Sloan Museum, in partnership with Shea Automotive Group, will be hosting Car Cruise-In shows at Shea’s Flint Township dealership on July 16, Aug. 20 and Sept. 17. The cruise-ins will be held on the third Thursday of each month and will run from 5 to 8 p.m.

Cathy Gentry, director of business operations for Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium, said that the cruise-ins are being held in place of the traditional Sloan Museum Auto Fair, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were planning to hold the 48th Annual Sloan Museum Auto Fair at Crossroads Village, but we just couldn’t have it after COVID hit,” she said. “Once Michigan started to open up, we tried to envision what another event or series of events could look like. Having a strong relationship with Shea, we thought it would be great to have the cruise-in car shows at the dealership.”

Gentry said that Shea’s parking lots will provide plenty of space for vehicles, while allowing spectators to practice safe distancing.

“We do know that some of our regular patrons won’t be coming, and that’s ok,” she said. “We want everyone to stay safe and be comfortable. We also hope to see some new faces who will come to our traditional shows in the future.”

Unlike the traditional Sloan Museum Auto Fair, the cruise-in shows won’t be featuring special car exhibits from Sloan Museum or judging in specific competition categories. However, spectators will be able to vote for their favorite vehicles on all three nights, and trophies will be awarded for first, second and third place vehicles.

Each of the cruise-in shows will be open to the public free of charge. Proceeds will be gathered from vehicle registration fees, which help the Sloan Museum to maintain, purchase and restore historic vehicles.

“Sloan Museum keeps our automotive history and heritage alive,” Gentry said. “For people who want to keep the car culture going—and the stories people know—this is one of the ways they can support it.”

The registration fee for vehicles is $5 per cruise-in. Car owners who opt to pay $15 up front for all three cruise-ins will receive a guaranteed dash plaque.

To register your vehicle for the Sloan Museum Auto Fair Cruise-In shows, visit sloanautofair.com.

The Shea Automotive Group dealership is located on 5135 Corunna Road near Linden Road.