Main Street in downtown Niles is packed with cars during a past Bring It! Cruise in and Car Show event. The weekly summer series begins this Wednesday.
Leader file photo

The Bring It! Cruise In and Car Show is revving up for a third season of hot rides and live music in downtown Niles.

Put on by Kar Club Inc., the weekly summertime event begins Wednesday with Darryl Buchanan and the Reflections providing live entertainment. The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Wednesday through Aug. 28 on Main Street.

Hundreds of vehicle enthusiasts begin lining up their unique rides on Main Street between the hours of 4 and 5 p.m. Main Street closes for each event at 5 p.m.

Marc Milhander, of Kar Club Inc., said there are several new things lined up for this year’s car shows.

For the first time, Bring It will be introducing Wednesday a people’s choice award, where people who choose to participate can vote for their favorite ride. Ballots cost $1, and people can purchase as many ballots as they’d like.

Milhander said Bring It would be pairing up with and raising funds for two charities: the American Cancer Society/Relay for Life and the Support Our Troops campaign.

Several different fundraisers will be running at each event, including the people’s choice award, 50/50 raffle and an auction for a 15-minute ride in a “hot” vehicle.

“That’s something that I’d enjoy doing myself,” Milhander said. “There’s lots of people’s cars I’d like to have a ride in.”

They’ll also be offering photo packages and T-shirt sales.

Old favorites return, including live music and a children’s area, featuring hot rod coloring and temporary tattoos.

WJOE’s Joe Cannon and DJ Jeff Roberts will be deejaying and announcing during each event.

They’ll also be handing out several awards each Wednesday, including the Tom Rasler AAA award, top bike, best in show and first runner up.

“Everything this year is going to be really classed up,” Milhander said. “Last year, we gave out certificates to everyone other than best of show and runner up. This year, we have framed stuff. We are beefing it up.”

Just about any car is welcome to attend.

“We will pretty much display any car if it even registers a blip on the hotness scale,” Milhander said.

Sponsorship for the event has grown from around five sponsors last year to 15 this year.

Milhander said the event couldn’t happen without a great deal of support from sponsors and from the City of Niles government.

“It’s pretty remarkable to think we are closing down Main Street every Wednesday night all summer long,” he said.

Public parking is available off Main Street. Free ice-cold bottled water will be handed out.

Date/Entertainment                                                          Featuring

June 5 — Darryl Buchanan and the Reflections/WJOE   Ford/Chevy

June 12 — Hey Annie/DJ Jeff Roberts                                 Truck and Van

June 19 — Everyday People/DJ Jeff Roberts                      Mopar/AMC

June 26 — Ground Control                                                     Club Night

July 10 — Red Hot Voodoo/WJOE                                       Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac

July 17 — Hillbenders                                                              Race Cars, Motorsports, Demolition

July 24 — Great White Caps                                                   German, British, Italian

July 31 — Van Dyke Revue/DJ Jeff Roberts                       Studebaker

Aug. 7 — Acme Box & Crate/DJ Jeff Roberts                     Bizzare Unusual Unique

Aug. 14 — Parkovash/WJOE                                                  Orphan Vehicles

Aug. 21 — Alligator Blackbird/DJ Jeff Roberts                  Bike Night

Aug. 28 — Elwood Splinters Blues Band/WJOE               Import Night