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** Crusin The Coast???...

3K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  tony's last toy 
#1 ·
I see a lot of talk about Leadeast up in my old home state of Jersey....but for us guys down here in the Southeast how about doing a trip to Crusin The Coast over on the gulf coast of Mississippi ????....:flag6:
 
#3 ·
I've gone most years on the last few days (thurs - Sat), but last year it was so crowded on the beach road (Hwy 90) and HOT... many cars pulled over due to overheating, I went one mile (1 hr) and then got off and headed back to park my car. This year, if I go, it will be earlier in the week when hopefully it won't be so crowded...
 
#5 ·
'Cruisin the Coast' is a MAJOR car happening that everyone should attend at least once (even if you don't drive your collector car and take a modern Air conditioned car and just LOOK).

The major difference between that show and a 'regular car show' or Cruise in' is taht with the 5 or 6 different locations, and the requirement that each registered car get their 'entry card' punched at each location while they are there (in order to qualify for the big $$ and sometimes car drawings they have), if you just park yourself in a shade somewhere along hwy 90 or at one of the sites, you will see a LOT of cars and not just cars sitting on a hot parking lot, but actually being driven and moving iwth the sounds etc.. :) I think THAT is the major attraction of the CtC show. It runs from Sunday thru the next Sunday, and it changes and gets busier as the week progresses...

The Ocean Springs site if my favorite one to SIT at if you can find a place to park. It's a long old street (government st) in downtown OS with huge oaks towering over the street and the businesses and is the coolest place to see a lot of cars, and parkign places along that street are IN DEMAND.. :)
 
#6 ·
Linda and I have gone the last 2 years. This year we are bringing the 57. I like Ocean Springs, cool little town. We hit all of the towns last year and had a blast. The first year we went to Long Beach for the car parade. We stayed in Biloxi. This year we are staying East of Bay St. Louis at Waveland. I have found that sometimes you have to get off of 90 and cut around the back roads to get from one end to the other. Traffic can be heavy.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Final Newsletter from CTC

Here is a link to the Final (before the event) July Newsletter. It spells out the event. Also, you-tube has lots of videos to give you a peak of the event.

https://cruisinthecoast.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CTC-News-July2019-final-lo.pdf

I have had a couple of years where I was able to attend Sunday to Sunday.

Hope to do the Gulfport down town Sunday cruise in this year, been to The Hardy Court thing, but Gulfport looks better.

Tuesday night is the flame throwing contest and I can wait to take my 4-year-old grandchild to the event. I try to get to the Island View by 4 pm to get a good cruiser parking spot and good seating in the bleachers for the show.

I tried several times to get my car into the Biloxi Block party on Wednesday and was finally able to park in the event by getting in line at 4 AM! and the local TV stations were all on hand at 4 AM. I had a great spot and spent the day with some of my pals. We ate lunch and cleared out by the cutoff time.

Oceans Springs is heaven on earth, nothing like the smell of burnt hydrocarbons and the site/sound of heavy horse power in motion. I like to make OS very early on Thursday morning (like 4 am) and watch all the cars drive down the street, while sitting under a live oak canopy. BTW OS has a downtown donuts shop that makes their treats with potato flour, opens very early. Again, after a good lunch, I cruise to all the locations to get my card stamped.

Early Saturday morning, we cruise in the 57 with my daughter, son-in-law and the granddaughter to Bay St. Louis. We meet up with friends and family, have lunch and leave Bay St Louis early in the afternoon. Bay St. Louis is beautiful with good places to eat, hint go early for lunch to get a table.

Beach Blvd. and the Edgewood Mall (yes remember the Mall) are happening every night.

The Sunday morning winning check drawings at Cruisin Central have always been fun for me and my daughter, though the old VA is now a resort.

CTC is a motor head's dream
 
#8 ·
I have gone several times, it's been several years since last time, a great show to attend at least once. If you are military or retired military there are 3 local bases with rooms, I've always gotten a room at Naval Construction Training Center Gulfport, there's also Keesler AFB, and the Air Guard has a Training Center at the Gulfport Airport. It does help to take the back roads north of 90 if you are going very far either direction, Saturday is always a busy day.
 
#9 ·
I lived there in the mid 70's while stationed there. I made a promise to myself that when I left......I left for good. During that time it was one of the most backwards places I have ever been to. I have been to a lot of places both in the USA and out. That said.....

I will one day go back, for this event, after my 55 sport utility project is finished.

Mikey
 
#10 ·
We have been to Crusin' on the Coast for many years. The venue is "spread out" over about 30 miles from Bay St Louis to Moss Point----usually over 7000 cars and thousands of folks line the beach road to "see" the cars. There is music, eats, great conversation, wonderful hospitality and polite manners are shown daily. As being BACKWARDS, if you like your kids to grow up saying yes mam, no mam, yes sir, no sir, going to church, working hard, having prayer, standing for the national anthem, placing the hand over the heart for the pledge of allegiance to the United States Of America--this place is proud to be BACKWARDS---as we from the South are proud to be an American----you are invited anytime to come back and be welcome and maybe, your attitude will change---yes, I served in the US Army , came home, went to school, worked all my life with the attributes of courtesy, respect and dignity ----even for folks who had none:gba:
 
#13 ·
I've been to CtC several times... fact is, at one point I lived in Gulfport, and so I speak from considerable CtC experience.

CtC is not a typical car show. It's not a car show at all. It's an event

If you want to be hot and miserable, you can. To avoid this... I suggest:

1). Go knowing it's going to be hot out. Plan for it. bring a pop-up canopy, or at least an oversize umbrella. Wear comfortable clothes, hat, shorts etc.. Make double-dog sure your car is able to handle heat and idling. Don't bring along anyone that likes to gripe... about anything..

2). The earlier in the week... the better.

3). Decide to stay at one venue for most (if not all) of each day, then the next day try a different town/venue. Find a nice spot, sit back and watch the show come to you. No reason to drive around

4). RELAX don't take anything too seriously. Enjoy the live music. Count your blessings, you are doing something millions of folks never get to do.

5). Get your room reservation early (I had military privileges so the Navy Lodge was my choice)

Below are old pics from CtC...
 

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#15 ·
Mikey,I believe the last public KKK ralley was in 1976.It came thru here in Pascagoula on it's way to Gulfport.
I now live in the Moss Point subburb of Helena.Been here most of my life except when I worked off or was traveling.
I find that most places I've been people tend to look down on the south although they know almost nothing about us. Is that a form of biggotry?
You are still welcome here anytime!
Crusin"the Coast is one of the biggest classic car events in the country.I've been every year so far.Yes,there are problems,just like all the rest of the car events.
But,here it's a little different,you will get your money's worth!You don't have to pay an entry fee unless you want to compete for the awards
The traffic is bad.And,there are alternate routes.Pass Road and Railroad Street are east/west routes just north of Hwy.90.
There are many places to stop and park along the Hwy.90 cruise.as well as the "Down Town" events.
It's an open event meant for all classics,so you'll see stuff you forgot even existed!
There's the swap meet and classic car auction at the colliseum too.And,the drag races at Gulfport/Longbeach dragway.Beaches,restaurants,casinos,etc.
And,many different clubs gathered all over the route.
It's an event to see at least once!

P.S. public places have a 9;00 P.M. curfew.
There are photo cameras at most every traffic signal along Hwy.90.Serious traffic violations will get you car impounded and you in jail.A child died a few years ago when he ran out in traffic.His fault,but it still happened.I hope it never happens again.
Mike.:):bowtieb:
 
#17 ·
Mike,
As I have said, I lived there, not just a visitor for 3 years. The area had it's appeal. The Gulf and the white sand beach was very pretty. The sign every 50 yards to not go into the water because it was a public Health hazard were not. I believe it was just a year or 2 before I got there in late 75, early 76 that the raw sewage pumping into the ares (shore side of the islands) was just stopped. The water between the shore and the islands was so contaminate that if you were in the Air force and came down with swimmers ear ( an infection of the middle ear caused by E-coli found in human fecal material) you could be drummed out of the service. We in the medical section of the Navy saw it in some active duty, but more in the dependents. Despite the signs people still went swimming in that muck. The blue crabs loved it, and you could catch all you wanted, but could not eat any of them for the same reason.

My wife and I road up and down Pass road( or no pass road as it was called by locals) for several hours because it was so bumpy and full of pot holes we were able to get her to go into labor, with our first, rather than have to induce delivery.

Railroad Road must be new because the only other East West road other than Pass and 90 was I-10 when I was there. Maybe it is where the rail road tacks were. I spent many an hour waiting for the slow moving trains to cross so I could get home from work, North of the rail road tracks from traveling on 90.

Had 2 accidents there, both on 90, one with my 55 hardtop. Neither driver had insurance and I being in the military had to have it to drive on base, had to claim on my own coverage for repairs.

No casinos, no gambling boats. Not much of any industry unless you were in the oyster or shrimp business.

Only large Hotel was the one the singer had put up, and I have forgotten its name.

You could still see the damage from Camille when I was there.

Yes there were good people there, as there are every where.

I'm not bashing "the South" in general, just an area I lived and worked in and formed an opinion of.

Mikey
 
#16 ·
Two separate comments.

I think the deep South has changed a lot as far as attitudes, etc. in the last 40-50 years. The KKK is no longer tolerated anywhere and hasn't been for a long time. But you won't find many liberals there either.

Getting up at 4am to go to a car event once I'm there, just to get a "spot"? I don't think so for me. That's pretty hardcore.
 
#18 ·
I don't have any problem with what you said,just trying to say that it's different here than it was then.Just trying to improve relations!
Maybe you are thinking of Gus Stevens Club(Jane Mansfield's last performance) or the Whitehouse Hotel.Or the Sun N Sand Motel.Then there was Broadwater Beach resort.And,many others gone now.
And,there was illegal gambling everywhere,strip joints,chicken/dog fighting too!
BTW,I spent a lot of time around Austin myself.I was in the Hill Country car club down around New Braunfells for a long time. My daughter is a graduate of Texas A&M.Double major in economics and computer science.
My late ex-wife is buried just outside Austin.
Mike.:):bowtieb:
 
#19 ·
CTC is a must do event if you are SERIOUS about old cars. We have been many times. The first time there was around 4000 cars. The last over 7000. PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE is a MUST. We always stay in Moss Point, Ms. The motels are cheaper, plenty of eating places, and we go to drive our car any way. We have not been to the last few CTC events. We are working on our 56 which will have A/C unlike our other old cars and trucks. Much more important in our later years than it used to be. You will have a BLAST.
 
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