Bellefonte Cruise, a Father’s Day weekend tradition, is back. Find the schedule, details
Every year over Father’s Day weekend, the Historic Bellefonte Cruise takes over downtown Bellefonte with an array of historic and antique cars, family-friendly fun, live music and thousands of visitors. Now, as the event prepares for its 35th year, organizer Patrick McCool says there’s even more to love and the crowds continue to grow.
“It seems to keep getting bigger and bigger each year,” he said. “Last year was better than the year before. We had great attendance both Friday and Saturday. We had probably 5,000 (people) there on Friday night and then, Saturday, throughout the day, we had approximately 20,000-25,000.”
As attendance rises, McCool and team have expanded the event’s entertainment and activity options while still keeping the event familiar, with more of the same fan-favorite offerings that have grown the event to its current size. It all kicks off Friday at 7:30 p.m., with the annual Sock Hop on the Bellefonte Diamond.
“Friday night is an open cruise, during which everyone laps a block. It’s a parade-type atmosphere. Then, we go into what we call our Sock Hop, where we shut the street down. There’s dancing in the street and lots of good music from, this year, The Fabulous Flashbacks. We do some giveaways and ‘thank you’s’ to our sponsors. The Sock Hop has been getting bigger and bigger each year,” McCool said.
On Saturday, attendees will notice more live music options than in years past, with two bands, Spring Hollow Band and The Rocket Blasters, playing the second stage, near the Bellefonte post office, and DJ Vid on the event’s main stage all Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, children’s activities will take place on the Bellefonte Diamond.
However, while the festival-esque atmosphere brings out a range of attendees, the highlight is, of course, the Saturday car show, featuring 30-plus classes of cars, trucks and motorcycles.
“We’ve been getting a much bigger variety of cars, and we’re attracting people from a lot further as well,” said McCool. “It’s probably one of the most versatile shows. You’ll get to see cars, trucks and motorcycles ... from all years, including from the early 1910s to the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. ... There’s usually a few brand-new (cars) that will come to the show. It’s a much bigger variety and you’ll see a lot of specialty vehicles.”
For those still interested in registering a vehicle for the event, registration is possible both before and the day of the event. Registration is $15 and a registration form is available at www.bellefontecruise.org. When completed, the form may be dropped off at the Bellefonte Chamber of Commerce Office, 320 W. High St., or, on the day of the event, at the Bellefonte Diamond, from 7 a.m..-noon.
For attendees, McCool noted that parking in downtown Bellefonte is a hot commodity over the weekend, so a shuttle service runs 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, ferrying attendees between Bellefonte High School and downtown.
While this year’s Historic Bellefonte Cruise will be gone and passed in a matter of days, McCool is already looking forward to next year. His years of organizing the event are truly a labor of love — but he’s always looking for new, younger faces to help out.
“I’m a hometown boy,” he said. “I really do like the event and everyone seems to like what we’ve been doing. It’s getting a little easier as we get more, younger people coming on board (to help). We’re always looking to get people to devote a little bit of time to putting on a good show.”
For those interested in volunteering for next year’s Historic Bellefonte Cruise, contact McCool at bellefontecruiseorg@gmail.com or 814-280-5881.
Bellefonte Cruise schedule
Friday
6-7:30 p.m.: Open Cruise, downtown Bellefonte
7:30-10:30 p.m.: Sock Hop, Bellefonte Diamond
Saturday: Car Show
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Rocket Blasters, second stage (by the post office)
Noon-5 p.m.: DJ Vid, main stage
1-3:30 p.m.: Spring Hollow Band, second stage
5 p.m.: Car show awards, on the Diamond
More info: www.bellefontecruise.org
