Out & About: Every vehicle tells a story at The Stroll car cruise in Ligonier
There was a story behind every antique, classic and custom ride parked around the Ligonier Diamond on Friday evening for The Stroll, the annual oldies-themed car cruise.
Ron Webberking of Irwin dreamed of owning a 1940 Ford Standard Coupe since his high school days of reading car magazines.
“They were popular for hot rodding,” he said.
His dream was fulfilled when he found one for sale in Clairton 35 years ago. It took more than four years to restore.
“It was full of holes and rust, and the engine was locked up,” he said.
Now the coupe has a yellow, red and orange flame paint job with a matching red leather interior. Because he’s color blind, Webberking trusted his wife, Marilyn, to come up with the color scheme.
Matthew and Mary Tirdil of Greensburg took a liking to the 1961 Buick Invicta Custom when they saw one at the Buick Centennial Celebration in 2005 in Flint, Mich.
“It took us six years to find one,” Matthew said, and then it was basically junk and in Kansas, to boot.
With a lot of help from his brother and friends, Tirdil restored the gold, two-door hardtop to pristine condition.
The Stroll was a snapshot of automotive history, from the 1932 Plymouth Sport Roadster owned by Jaime and April Cintron of Ligonier Township to the 1990 Cadillac Eldorado owned by Denny and Becky Blank of Greensburg.
Though attendance appeared to suffer somewhat from the threat of thunderstorms, The Stroll avoided the deluge that canceled the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice in nearby Latrobe. Storm clouds and lightning loomed in the distance, but rain held off until later in the evening.
Car owners and other attendees mingled to swap stories, dance to oldies music broadcast from the Diamond Park bandstand, grab a bite in a nearby restaurant and shop the merchant sidewalk sales.
The event is organized by Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Seen: Art and Cheryl McMullen, Gavin McMullen, Cooper Hoffman, Debbie Sarault, Alyssa Lape, Ron and Theresa Gay Rohall, Dan and Bev McMaster, John and Bonnie Hill, Jeff and Donamae Daily, Russ Brubaker, Gary and Judy Rutter, Dave and Barb Keim, Todd and Erica Bowers with sons Christian, Conor and Dylan, Mark and Dawn Miller and Brian and Amy Miller with 6-month-old Isaiah.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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