Thursday’s Cruisin’ to the Square brought lots of people to downtown Jefferson.
Co-organizer Chuck Wenthold says there were 233 cars, trucks, motorcycles and tractors that participated in the late summer event. There were nine awards given out, all backed by sponsors this year. Best car went to Ed DeVries with his 1967 Ford Mustang. Best truck was Chad Davis with his 1951 Chevrolet 3100. Best motorcycle was Kevin Allender’s 2015 Harley Davidson Electra Glide trike. Best tractor went to Brent Goughnour and his 1946 Farmall M Tractor.
Jefferson Matters: A Main Street and Chamber Community Events and Tourism Coordinator Matt Wetrich said it was another successful event.
“You know as a person who is not a car person, I really love seeing how passionate people are about this and how many people come, and they’re just really excited about it. I really appreciate that there’s such a gathering here and that Jefferson plays host, and what this event has grown to be. Locally, it’s gone on for so long that everybody really looks forward to this on their calendar.”
Additionally, there was a BBQ contest, hosted by Murphy Farm Meats. A panel of six local judges determined who had the best chicken, pork ribs, pork butt and brisket from four competitors. The judges included Mary Weaver, Dan Benitz, Brett Abbotts, Doug Rieder, Phil Thompson and Gary Jensen. Abbotts is the new Greene County Schools Superintendent and he appreciated being a judge as he described the experience.
“We finished with brisket, which I happened to absolutely love brisket of the four different meats that we tried. By the time we got to the brisket, we all kind of lamented with each other of, ‘Man, we wished we would’ve been smarter earlier and just taken some smaller portions and some smaller chunks. Even though there was a half hour or so in between each round, it just wasn’t enough.”
The grand champion was Brian’s Beef from Grand River, Iowa and the reserve grand champion was Outlaw from Des Moines.
See the full list of the vehicle awardees below.
Vehicle Awards:
Best car sponsored by Fouch – Agri Service: Ed DeVries 1967 Ford Mustang
Scott Hebenstreit Memorial Best Truck sponsored by Tech Zone: Chad Davis 1951 Chevy 3100
Best Tractor sponsored by Rueter’s: Brent Goughnour 1946 Farmall M
Best Paint sponsored by Fast Lane Motor Parts: Jim and Kathleen Shriver 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo
Most Original sponsored by Roadside Relics: Dan Seidl 1972 Chevy Chevelle SS
Best Motorcycle sponsored by Wild Rose Casino: Kevin Allender 2015 Harley Davidson Electra Glide trike
Best Interior sponsored by Dan Brubaker Enterprises: Rod and Linda Eighmy 1957 Chevy 210
Best Engine sponsored by Home State Bank: Mike and Debbie Holtapp 1970 Plymouth Road Runner
Most likely to get a ticket: Dick Zieser 1970 Chevy Camaro
BBQ winners:
Grand Champion: Brian’s Beef
Reserve Grand Champion: Outlaw
1st place for chicken: Brain’s Beef
1st place for spare ribs: Outlaw
1st place for pork butt: Sinsational BBQ and Smoked Meats
1st place for brisket: Brian’s Beef