"Just let me know which one you want the keys for...."
Frankly, this sort of generosity takes some getting used to for city slickers like us, though we found it to be pretty standard behavior among the hospitable citizens of southern Oregon during our trek to Medford for the city's annual celebration of classic cars. This particular offer came from Steve Curry, owner of Heritage Motors, one of the sponsors of the event we'd come to experience. We were fairly amazed when he waved his arm across the big-block Nova, hot small-block Valiant, and cherry '56 Chevy wagon displayed during the pre-cruise show while emphasizing that all were available for us to motor. He, like nearly everyone we encountered over the weekend, was totally geeked over the event, particularly since the "L.A. guys" had chosen to come and hang out. The attitude was somewhat infectious.
Now in its 20th year, the Medford Cruise seems to be an event that even non-car people anticipate, at least if the enthusiasm of those lining the sidewalks was any indication. Although it's a bit more organized than most of the events we've chosen to cover for Cruisin' USA, with its drag race, car show, and cordoned cruise route, it definitely embodies the theme of grassroots car enthusiasm we set out to find.
James Hayes turned us on to the Medford event, and John Lavoy, Anne Jenkins, and Tammy Mendels of the Medford Visitors and Convention Bureau took the time to make sure we were comfortable and happy-thanks everyone. If you're anywhere around southern Oregon in June next year, you ought to stop in and check out the cruise. It's one the wife and kids will dig too.