By Zoe McAninch, student intern writer, Office of University Communications
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines because the Campbellsville University Homecoming Car Cruise is back and better than ever!
On Saturday, Oct. 6, Campbellsville University will host the university’s 26th Annual Car Cruise on Montgomery Library Lawn. Registration is from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. The car cruise is open to all vehicles of all ages, makes and model including, cars, trucks, motorcycles and this year tractors will be added to the mix.
This year, the first 100 participants will receive a cap and a silver coin, both will have the stars and stripes Homecoming logo. The coin will be the first of its kind and is expected to continue for future years. The coin will have the Homecoming logo on one side and the CU Tigers and the opposing team with the date and the Campbellsville University steeple logo.
Stan McKinney, lead professor of mass communication and associate professor of journalism at Campbellsville University, has coordinated the car cruise since its beginning. This event was designed for returning alumni to see a vehicle they might have seen or had while they attended the university.
McKinney said, “It brings back memories, and that’s what Homecoming is all about.”
The event is free and open to the public.
Each vehicle has its own story, and McKinney encourages everyone to bring their vehicles.
“It is open to absolutely any kind of vehicle. It is not a car show because there is no competition. It is a way to make human connections with other people. A car can be a significant link to a person’s life, and it is neat to learn each story — that is the purpose of this event.”
McKinney has a 1949 Ford F1 Pickup truck that belonged to his father and later his uncle. He plans to have it at this year’s cruise. He said his father painted it and made the truck bed out of oak wood. That paint is faded now and the wood is well seasoned, but he doesn’t plan to ever change them.
This year, tractors were added to the lineup because of Dr. Sarah Stafford Sims’ memory of her father’s tractor. For her 50th birthday, Sims’ husband completely restored her father’s 1953 Farmall Tractor.
“Just hearing it, sounds like my daddy,” Sims said. “I’ve been driving that tractor since my feet could touch the petals. The sounds, the look, the feel takes me back to my childhood.”
For anyone with a motorcycle, you can join campus minister, Ed Pavy, for a motorcycle ride through Taylor County. The ride will begin at 9 a.m. at the Chowning Patio located on the side of Montgomery Library’s Books n Beans. To RSVP for the ride call Pavy at (270) 789-5227. Afterward, you can register your motorcycle for the car cruise.
For anyone wanting to enter the cruise, registration begins in front of Montgomery Library. The Tri-County Car Club, which McKinney is a member of, will assist you with where to park. For more information, contact Stan McKinney at (270) 789-5035 or email at somckinney@campbellsville.edu.
More information about Campbellsville University and Homecoming festivities, visit www.campbellsville.edu/homecoming.
Campbellsville University is a widely-acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 10,000 students offering more than 90 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has off-campus centers in Kentucky cities Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with Kentucky instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville, and nationally in Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay, Jacksonville, Fla. and Chicago. The university also has a full complement of online programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.