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TOP STORY OF THE DAY Brought to you FREE by WICU: ‘Let’s go cruisin’ now’
Sometimes an idea just “grows legs and takes off” said a Brazil man who posted one recently on Facebook, and he’s going to see if it come to fruition Saturday.
“I was just thinking about setting up a little cruise with people my age through town, just like we did back in the old days,” said Eric Jensen, who accidentally organized the “cruisin’ event” that starts at 8 p.m. “Something fun to do with all the events canceled because of COVID-19, and it just took off.”
Jensen said he cruised with friends in the mid-1990s when a student at Northview High school, but they were probably among the last to do so.
“So many people are interested in cruising because they never did it while growing up after that time,” said Jensen, who has checked at local businesses used as turn-around points in town for their support.
For many years, it was a right of passage for teenagers to get their first car and drive from the east side to the west side of Brazil along the main drag, listening to the radio, honking their horns, and waving at people they knew, stopping to visit for a while, and then getting back out there on the road to do it some more.
“I was very surprised at the local businesses being in support of the one-night event,” Jensen said, adding his children are excited to take a ride and experience what they have seen in movies like “American Graffiti.”
That sense of nostalgia, being a kid driving your first car packed with friends, Chinese Fire Drills, and the endless youthful search while “bopping around town” in circles for excitement has caught the attention of hundreds of people looking for something to do during COVID-19.
“Cruising is the perfect thing to do because you are in your car, so social distancing is an actual part of it,” Jensen said, who has spoken to Brazil Mayor Brian Wyndham about the event.
“I think it’s a neat idea,” said Wyndham, who said it would be fun to stop by and watch the cars go by at the City Hall lawn or at benches along US 40, “I am thinking about getting out the motorcycle with the sidecar for Saturday.”
Jensen has no prior experience for organizing an event, but he thanks all those who have offered ideas along the way since his original Facebook post-mid-August.
One idea was gathering for a photo before the event started. A second one was arranging to drive through the Villas of Hollybrook and Reflections Memory Care on US 40 to allow the residents to see the unique event.
“We’re meeting up at the Brazilian Lanes Bowling Alley (2455 West US 40) around 7:30 p.m. That way, we can get together before driving through the parking lot at the Villas,” said Jensen, who will be happy if only a few people join in the fun, or hundreds show up. “I am sure there will be all kinds of vehicles there, maybe even a few Chinese Fire Drills might happen. It will be fun for those in the cars, and those who stop by to watch. I am sure a few people will make the circle a couple of times and then leave, but there will also be a few who are enjoying themselves and will stay beyond 10 p.m.”