Events including classic cars, historic aircraft and live music
Mansfield will be full of events this weekend, from historic airplanes at Mansfield Lahm Airport to classic cars in downtown Central Park and lining the streets west to the 5-way stoplight on Park Avenue West and Bowman Street when the 25th Heart of the City Cruise… Takes place on August 27.
The final series of Final Friday concerts will also be held on August 26 at the Brickyard in Temple Court.
The action will take place on Wednesday, August 24, when the Air Power History Tour’s rare and massive World War II aircraft fly into Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.
The Heart of the City Cruise-In will take over downtown with 500 to 600 classic vehicles expected and an estimated crowd of 5,000 to 6,000.
Mansfield Lahm Airport Day
The first of what is expected to be an annual event in Mansfield will showcase the area’s upgraded Mansfield Lahm Airport on Saturday, August 27, from 9am to 3pm.
Designed to spark an interest in aviation among young people, the Young Eagles free flights are offered to attendees ages 8-13 who have never been in an airplane, starting at 9:30 a.m. Registration is recommended for these limited flights and opens at 1 p.m. August 19 at yeday.org.
A Food Truck Rally will host nearly a dozen different offerings, while special KidsZone bounce houses and interactive inflatables feature members of the Civil Air Patrol. An area showcasing the business of Mansfield Lahm Airport will present all the latest developments at the airport.
AirPower Historical Tour
Wednesday through Sunday, August 24-28, the sights, sounds and stories of World War II aviation fly into the airport as the AirPower History Tour brings five of the world’s most important aircraft time on the main terminal ramp, according to advance advertising information.
The tour is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and admission is $20 for adults, $10 for youth ages 11 to 17, and free for children 10 and under. Details and tickets can be found at airpowersquadron.org/mansfield-ohio. Presented by the Air Force Commemorative, the tour offers visitors a rare opportunity to see aircraft up close and tour the cockpits of the B-29 and B-24 when the aircraft is not flying. The CAF is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to honoring the history of American military aviation by keeping these majestic aircraft flying and through exhibits and memorabilia. The highlight is a trip aboard any of five iconic aircraft from the 1930s-1940s. Advance reservations are recommended, with 20- to 40-minute trips priced from $299 to $3,700 per person. Rides are available on the B-29 Superfortress “Fifi”, B-24 Liberator “Diamond Lil”, T-6 Texan; PT-13 Stearman and P-51 Mustang “Gunfighter”. Trip times and reservations are available online at airpowersquadron.org/book.
Series of final Friday concerts
The popular Final Friday concert series takes place in the Carrousel District of historic downtown Mansfield. On Friday, August 26, a nationwide lineup includes Jose Sanchez, Tom’s Kitchen Table and County Line, who take the Brickyard Stage starting at 5:30 p.m.
Guests often bring their own chairs to this popular outdoor arts and culture venue, where local craft beer and food trucks draw lines of hungry and thirsty music lovers.
Once a bustling commercial and warehouse district, the area faded away, leaving decaying old industrial buildings well past their prime. Local visionaries developed the Brickyard to create a downtown cultural hub. Today, a live music scene, farmers’ markets and pop-up shops have replaced the wholesale demolition of alleyways and cinderblock piles.
Cruise in the heart of the city
The 25th anniversary Heart of the City Cruise-In hits downtown Mansfield Saturday, August 27 at noon and runs until 8 p.m. One of the largest auto shows in the state, the event features drool-worthy cars, trucks and vans, competitions. with trophies, favorite shows, a 50/50 raffle, live music and great food. Rain or shine, participants in this great vintage car show travel down Ohio 13 from Central Park.
With hundreds of cars lined up to strut their stuff, the event will feature every vintage vehicle imaginable, plus some modern stunners, from a 1920s Model T, a 1933 Plymouth PD Coupe or a ’65 Ford Shelby GT350, to a rare 1964 Chevy. Corvair Rampside, a 1920s Packard Roadster or the 1957 Chevy 210. The live entertainment will have some of that same vintage feel, with the bands hometown ’60s rock act Ohio Express, Music Explosion and The Cyrkle, along with Journey cover band Departure.
The departure will take place Saturday from 2 to 5:30 p.m. at the Central Park gazebo, said Ary Van Harlingen, organizer of the Cruise-In. The rest of the bands will perform from noon to 6 pm on a grass stage next to the Renaissance Theatre.
Van Harlingen said someone will bring 25 to 30 retractable Ford hardtops to the auto show.
History of Cruise-In
In February 1995, Mike and Jeanne Bammann along with the Gents Auto Club suggested to then Mayor Lydia Reid that the cruise tradition should be revived.
The first Heart of the City Cruise-In was held in Mansfield’s downtown square on August 26, 1995 with between 300 and 400 cars participating.
At the 2002 Heart of the City Cruise-In, “Hemi Under Glass” was featured, created by Bob Riggle who grew up in Mansfield. Upstairs/Downstairs British Automotive invited patrons to bring their classic cars, including 1950s British sports cars and classic Rolls Royces, according to an article in the magazine’s 25th Heart of the City Cruise-In to be delivered at the event
In 2007, Franklin Body Shop built a custom car that was displayed at the car show and raffled off.
In 2008, car owners and spectators at the event, along with local businesses, raised more than $4,000 in cash and truckloads of toys for Toy Time, a local organization that collected refurbished toys for more of 2,000 needy children in the area.
During the 2003 Cruise-In, car enthusiasts Brandon and Kristen McDaniel were married during the car show. At the 2004 Heart of the City Cruise-In, Steve Cobb’s Weidner Motors, Auto Essentials and News Journal raffled off a custom 2002 Pontiac Sunfire with benefits for the United Way of Richland County.
Anyone who wants to showcase their cruise ride can register for the show at 9 a.m. for $15.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
419-521-7223
Twitter: @LWhitmir
