Gilmore Car Museum kicks off summer season with cruise-ins, car shows, and Corks & Crafts tasting event
The Gilmore Car Museum kicks off their car show season in May. If you love old cars, the Gilmore is the place to be this May.
Hickory Corners, Mich. - As Michigan weather starts to take a turn, the Gilmore Car Museum is gearing up to welcome museum members, returning guests, and new visitors to its picturesque campus in the heart of southwest Michigan for a full month of events this May.
The first Gilmore Wednesday Night Cruise-In of the season will take place on Wednesday, May 3rd, from 5:00pm - 8:00pm ET. Presented by DeNooyer Chevrolet & Your West Michigan Chevy Dealers, this weekly Wednesday night gathering of classic and performance cars runs from May through the end of September, weather permitting, on the historic grounds of Gilmore Car Museum. The Grill, vintage 1941 George & Sally’s Blue Moon Diner, and The Tailgate bar will be open and serving food and beverages while a local band will provide guests with live entertainment each week. Over the years, Gilmore Wednesday Night Cruise-Ins have grown to attract more than 1,000 vehicles some nights, making it one of the largest weekly gatherings of auto enthusiasts in the region.
While entry to Gilmore Wednesday Night Cruise-Ins remains free for the community, Museum Members will receive early entry and preferred parking as part of their member benefits for 2023.
- Members-Only Gate will open early at 4:30pm
- Enter main entrance from Hickory Rd, turn right before the Administration building, then follow Members-Only signs to checkpoint gate at service entrance
- Limit of (1) early entry vehicle per membership card
- Members must present membership card and ID at the gate
Later that week on Saturday, May 6th, the third annual David J. Beeke Mustang & Ford Show will be the first of many weekend car shows for the Gilmore 2023 event season. Presented by the Matt Sturdy family, the show will feature Ford Mustangs, with special emphasis on 80s/90s Fox Body Mustangs and other Ford vehicles.
Attending Beeke family members and friends will assist with car judging and selection for awards, including presentation of the “Beeke Best In Show” award. Food and beverages will be available onsite, as the Heritage Cafe, Diner, and The Tailgate bar will all be open for business. The show will run from 9:00am – 4:00pm ET and a portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the West Michigan Cancer Center (wmcc.org), a 501c3 nonprofit based in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Several highly-anticipated shows and events are scheduled for May, including:
- Boats At The Barns & Vintage Travel Trailer Rally on Saturday, May 13: featuring classic wooden, fiberglass, and aluminum boats alongside vintage campers and RVs
- Corks & Crafts Tasting Event on Saturday, May 13: for beer, wine, and spirits enthusiasts, featuring vendors local to Southwest Michigan and a yard game garden
- Congress of Motorcars & Family Day on Saturday, May 20: an event the entire family will enjoy, featuring vintage car rides and carnival games, pre-1942 pass in vehicles, slot car racing from 10:00am - 1:00pm, crank start demonstration, 1 and 2 cylinder races, roaming music from Old Thyme Harmony barbershop quartet, and $1 regular hot dogs
For questions or more information, visit www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org, call (269) 671-5089 or email info@gilmorecarmuseum.org.
About Gilmore Car Museum
The world-renowned Gilmore Car Museum – North America’s largest auto museum with more than 400 vehicles on display -- is located midway between Chicago and Detroit, just 20 minutes north of Kalamazoo, or 45 minutes south of Grand Rapids. The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is to tell the history of America through the automobile. Learn more at GilmoreCarMuseum.org
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