Car cruise is Lowellville summer tradition

June 22, 2015 at 8:03p.m.

LOWELLVILLE

Al Smith, the founder of Lowellville’s “Cruisin’ the River” car cruise, grew up in Lowellville and remembers drag racing as a teenager in the 1950s.

“We used to meet at different restaurants and just sit around and talk and at the end of the night go out and race our cars,” he said. “It was, of course, a good place to pick up girls. Of course we don’t do that anymore.”

Smith created Lowellville’s weekly summer car cruise in part to pay tribute to those memories. The cruise — which takes place every Monday, weather-permitting, from 5 to 8 p.m. May to October — raises money for local causes.

In the past, the cruise has contributed to the 4H Club, the police department and to college scholarships. “No matter what, we try to make sure that the money stays in the community,” Smith said.

Roughly 400 cars lined up along East Water Street for Monday’s cruise. Antique car owners came from as far away as Cleveland and Pittsburgh.