Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/359684
6 If you wander all the way to the west end of the car line up, you will find a 1979 Chevrolet Corvette, Dark Green Metallic with a dark green fabric interior. And sitting on the grass curb behind the car, you'll find the car's owner Alan Wright, in the same spot he has occupied for nearly every 28th Street Metro Cruise for the past 10 years. Alan's car sits in parking spot #1, and, in many ways, he could be considered the Cruise's #1 fan. Q: How did you come by your car, and why is it your car of choice? A: I bought the car in the fall of 2004. When I bought the car I tried to pick out a type of car I had not owned before. I have owned Thunderbirds, Tri-Five Chevys, Mustangs and my share of station wagons, through the child-raising years, but I had never owned a Corvette. Ron and Connie Bush owned Classic Auto Show place on 84th street and Division Ave. I used to frequent the place on a regular basis and bought the car through them. The green paint and fabric on this Corvette make it quite rare and that is why I bought this particular Corvette. It has won more than one Best of Show awards because of its rarity. Q: How did you first hear about the Metro Cruise? A: A neighbor and friend Bill VerHulst ( a Wyoming City Councilman ) first told me about a new car cruise venue the City was discussing at their council meeting. He wanted my opinion about the cruise and I responded that a friend from Detroit had told me about the Woodward cruise and what excitement it was bringing to that area. WOW am I glad they decided to go for it. Q: Thinking back to that first year, what sticks out in your mind? A: The anticipation of the first cruise was something else. I remember getting up real early Saturday morning and getting down to Rogers Plaza just to get a good place to park. The first two years were rather a hassle finding a parking spot, but the organizers figured it out and started renting out each spot for the day. That really helped. The organizers also had an area set up at Rogers Plaza for car judging if you wanted to participate. The whole day was one exciting new experience. Q: What is your favorite memory from the past 10 years? A: I think some of the fun, right from the first year, along with being there, was judging cars. We had made up paddles with numbers ranging from 7 to 10. When a car cruising down the street was worthy we we would flash one of the numbers at them. It seemed to catch on because more are doing it now. Q: What was your favorite event from the past 10 years? A: I think by far the most memorable events so far have been the red carpet show car event, the pin-up girl contest and the number of great cars you get to view all day long. Q: What keeps you coming back? A: The anticipation of another great two day, fun filled, sun-up to way after dark, car party would bring any car lover back to the cruise. Bring a friend, we would love to see you out there. Q: What other car events do you attend? A: I attend about 15 to 20 local car shows a year. Other than the 28th Street Metro Cruise, The Gilmore Red Barn Spectacular and Charlton Park Fathers Day show are favorites. Alan also has a large collection of Metro Cruise memorabilia and some of it is pictured below. He and his wife are members of Them Misfits car club and they reside in Wyoming. Thank you, Alan, for your on-going support of the Cruise and we hope to see you at the next 10! Local Fan Never Misses the Metro Cruise Alan Wright with his '79 Vette A portion of Alan's Metro Cruise collection, which includes the posters, programs and t-shirts from each year.