Return of Cruise Night a Welcome Event

The return of Cruise Night to downtown Effingham Saturday turned out to be highly popular.

A good number of classic and antique vehicles tooled through downtown enhanced by a brief return to two-way traffic on Jefferson Avenue that made for smiles and waves along the way. Loads of people lined the sidewalks along Jefferson and around the Courthouse square. Classic music on 979XFM and tasty things to eat including the classic Hi-Boy sandwiches courtesy of the descendants of Noble and Ida Mae Brown made for a festive evening. The crowd downtown enjoyed music from DJ Langston Jackson and from the band Mustang Sally.

The event began with a ceremony on the lawn of the Old Courthouse in recognition of the 20th anniversay of the 9/11 Attack on America. The ceremony included a speech from Effingham Mayor Mike Schutzbach and the singing of the National Anthem by Jerry Doll as well as a Color Guard made up of members of the local veterans service organizations. Thursday Thunder sponsor Boris Bonutti lined up some of the classic cars that took part in the Cruise Night activities to carry members of the Color Guard for a lap along the cruise route. Mayor Mike and First Lady Crystal Schutzbach took part as well, along with a city squad car and a fire engine to kick off Cruise Night activities.

Cruise Night also served as the capper for this season's Thursday Thunder series.