Thousands packed downtown on Sunday, soaking in the sun as they checked out hundreds of classic cars during the 25th Annual Cruise-a-Palooza sponsored by the Butler Rodfathers.

Another popular event, the 26th annual Cruise-A-Palooza set for downtown Butler in June, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We're not having any of our cruises this year due to the circumstances,” said Ed Schnur, treasurer of Rodfathers of Butler, which organizes the event. “We canceled all of our car shows. All the places where we had cruises wanted to cancel due to the virus.”

He said eight car shows were scheduled this year including shows at Evans City, Saxonburg and the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Butler.

“We heard how devastating it can be for seniors,” Schnur said about the board's decision to cancel the events.

Cruise-A-Palooza draws 1,500 car and truck owners from across the state and country, and many visitors.

“Thousands of people. We pretty much fill up all the streets, the side streets. Cruise-A-Palooza is our largest cruise of the year,” Schnur said.

He said people from as far away as Texas and Montana have brought cars to the cruise and downtown restaurants benefited from all the people in town.

Check back for updated information or read the full article in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.