Currie Motors unites car lovers with free Valpo Car Cruise

On Friday, June 26, residents gathered in the heart of downtown Valparaiso to look at unique cars, as well as show off their own.

The Valpo Car Cruise, hosted by Currie Motors Ford of Valpo, is one of the biggest car shows of the summer. Dozens of cars pulled into the show’s lot, all of which were brought by Northwest Indiana residents. The staggering amount of vehicles on display can be attributed to the event’s generosity; it was free to enter a car, and free to participate. 

The affordability of Ford of Valpo’s Cruise night is entirely purposeful. Leo Sfikas, the general manager of Currie Motors Auto Group, spoke about the importance of keeping the event accessible to the entire community. 

“It’s free,” Sfikas emphasized. “We never charge anybody. At some car shows, you have to pay a fee to enter. There’s never been a fee to go to a Currie Motors car show. It’s always free.”

It isn’t just the lack of fees that made the Ford of Valpo Cruise night net so much engagement from the community. The event’s venue is smack in the middle of downtown Valparaiso, flanked by local businesses on all sides. The location adds greatly to the atmosphere of the Car Cruise, so much so that Currie Motors is relectant to host another Car Cruise elsewhere.

“We like doing it downtown,” Sfikas shared. “We had our show at the Expo Center last year, but this is much more quaint. When people finish up here, especially on a Friday night, they’ll go and have something to eat, or go to a bar. The business owners like it when we do this event, because they get the spillover.”

Currie Motors partnered with one of The Region’s most charitable organizations, the Lions Club of Valparaiso. The Lions Club is a global service organization that has strong roots in the Valparaiso community, often showing up to the city’s events. Greg Miller, the president of Valparaiso Lions Club, showed up to host a charity raffle. Car Cruise attendees could buy a $50 ticket for a chance at winning a new Ford Bronco Sport Heritage, GMC Terrain AT4, or a $30,000  cash equivalent. The proceeds garnered from ticket sales go towards Valparaiso Lions Vision Care, a charity that assists vision-impaired residents of Northwest Indiana.

“The Lions Club partnered up with Currie Motors last year to have our first ever raffle. They’ve been a great, great partner,” Miller said gratefully. “We work with Lions Vision Care, and that’s where our proceeds go. We’re also very heavily involved in the leader dog program for the blind.”

Currie Cruise Night also gave residents an opportunity to fill their bellies. Local food and beverage trucks were parked towards the entrance, and attendees took advantage of them throughout the night.

Ford of Valpo’s Cruise night is an event that brings car lovers of all ages together to bond over their mutual interest. The festive, outdoor atmosphere helped attendees open up to one another in a way that, in their day-to-day lives, they never would have done.

“What we find is that you get people from all walks of life to come display their vehicles. They’re all like-minded in one way, that they have a passion for automobiles,” Sfikas described. “You could get some of these folks at a grocery store, just standing in line, and they won’t say two words to one another. But if you park them next to one another at a car show, they’re instant boys, right? They’re buddies.”

For more information on Currie Motors Ford, visit https://www.fordofvalpo.com/