Wheels of Steel car cruise rolls on despite rain
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — A constant downpour on Sunday, June 2, failed to deter car enthusiasts from showing up in droves for the 4th annual “Wheels of Steel” car cruise at Armco Park in Slippery Rock.
Hundreds dropped by on Sunday to gaze at the dozens of lovingly restored vintage, modern, or otherwise unique vehicles on display at this love letter to the automobile, held by the Rodfathers of Butler.
Entry was free, both for visitors and for those showcasing their cars. The Rodfathers run on donations to organize their events, including Wheels of Steel and the Butler Cruise-a-palooza.
“We survive on donations,” said Rodfathers volunteer John Malinski. “That’s it.”
Each of the Rodfathers’ cruise events benefits charities or non-profit organizations, and in this case, the non-profit was ARMCO Park. Malinski said the Rodfathers organize the event free of charge as a way to bring car enthusiasts to the YMCA-owned park.
“Cars come from all over the state, Ohio and West Virginia to our events,” Malinski said. “That brings the general public in to see what’s going on, and it helps ARMCO Park raise money to keep their park open. That’s what we do for all the events that we do.”
In previous years, the Wheels of Steel event has drawn more than 200 cars and over a thousand patrons. This year, due to the rain, event organizers scaled back their expectations somewhat.
“Our expectation is hopefully between 30 and 40 cars,” said Nick Sasala, membership and marketing director for the Butler YMCA.
Malinski estimated about 57 cars eventually showed up.
One of the more striking vehicles was a black hearse featuring a human skeleton in a coffin poking out of the trunk. The owner, Vince Miller, said the skeleton was from a medical school cadaver he purchased from eBay.
Miller added this isn’t even the first hearse he’s owned.
“When I was young, I lived in California, and ... the funeral home of our town was just up the street,” Miller said. “Processions used to cross by our house. The hearse was the most respected and most recognizable vehicle on the road. They could go through stop signs. That’s why I wanted one.”
Another car connoisseur, Del Perry, brought a 1926 Ford Model T which looked just as fresh as it did when it came off the assembly line.
“I take it out every chance I get,” Perry said. “It don't stay in the garage long, and it don't get trailered. I drove it from Saxonburg up here today. This thing's dependable.”
Malinski said the Rodfathers plan its annual schedule of car cruises out as early as January.
“For Cruise-a-palooza, which is our main event, that takes almost a year to get everything,” Malinski said. “It takes the cooperation of the city, the state ... a little bit of everything.”
The Rodfathers next car cruise is the 29th annual Cruise-a-palooza, scheduled for Sunday, June 23, along Butler’s Main Street. Six more Rodfathers car cruises will follow throughout the summer, concluding on Sunday, Sept. 22, with the Slippery Rock Golf Club Car Cruise.
“At the end of the year, if we make any money, we give it back to other charities,” Malinski said. “Everything from Camp Cadets, Salvation Army ... you name it.”
This story was updated June 4 to reflect the correct date of Cruise-a-palooza.
