By Hugh Fisher

Kannapolis Citizen

On Saturday evening, the streets running through Cannon Village looked like the "Idiots' Circle" of old days, with lines of cars driving slowly around and around downtown Kannapolis.

That's because by 4 that afternoon — long before the official start time of the final Cool Car Cruise-In to be held there — there wasn't a parking space to be found along the main drag.

The grassy median was packed with lawn chairs, blankets, coolers and playing children.

And every square inch of asphalt, it seemed, sported a classic, custom or crazy-looking vehicle, from old chrome-laden sedans to souped-up roadsters and a few motorcycles thrown in for good measure.

Saturday marked the end of an era in Cannon Village, the last of the popular monthly gatherings for car lovers for at least the next few months.

Atlantic American Properties — the real-estate group which owns Cannon Village, including the downtown streets which are privately maintained — has called a halt to the gatherings, citing the need to focus on construction at the adjacent N.C. Research Campus.

Rumors were flying among the hundreds gathered at the cruise-in, with many people under the impression that this was the end of cruise-ins in downtown Kannapolis for good.

A lot of the car lovers who have been attending the events since they started two years ago said they are unhappy about the change.

"It sucks, just to put it point blank," said Dwayne Sutherland of Kannapolis, who brought his 1973 Chevy Nova out to the cruise-in. "I enjoy coming up there. I've come to these since they started them two years ago. I've made every one of them."

Sutherland said that he'll drive to the Mooresville and Spencer cruise-ins from now on. "I heard it's just about as big as this," he said.

"This is just the small town going away," said Danny Cline, who brought his customized 2003 Mustang to the cruise-in. "As small as Kannapolis is, they've surely lost all their business from the people who worked down here, so you can imagine what this place will be like without this."

Still, many hope that the monthly cruises might come back once construction is finished around Cannon Village. There's been no definitive word on whether that will happen.

Grant Rader, who helped organize the cruise-ins with city officials and Atlantic American Properties two years ago, was on hand Saturday evening, passing out fliers for "Cruzin' In Landis," which he hopes will attract many of the same drivers and spectators who have been coming to Kannapolis.

"The eventual goal is to have a joint cruise on the first Saturday of every month," Rader said.

He said that the event would rotate among Concord, Kannapolis, Landis, China Grove, Salisbury and Spencer — cities where cruise-ins are either already happening or have happened in the past.

"We're still talking to cities," Rader said.

The problem facing Kannapolis right now, according to Rader, is lack of a space big enough for all of the people who want to show their cars and for the spectators and vendors the cruise-in draws.

"The city of Kannapolis wanted to keep doing this," Rader said. "But Atlantic American Properties said they did not want it in the downtown area, period, even after the city offered to provide security and pay for trash pickup."

Rader said there are no other locations in Kannapolis suitable for the gathering, but was positive that the classic car gatherings would resume when the right solution was found.

Throughout the muggy evening, a constant stream of cars poured through the streets of Cannon Village — both classic cars making the rounds to see and be seen, and spectators who circled the downtown blocks to look at old and new vehicles.

The sidewalks were packed with kids and adults streaming through the plaza to see the array of vehicles.

Surprisingly enough, a lot of the visitors were first-timers who'd heard of the Kannapolis cruise-ins and wanted to come out for the event's "final lap."

"That's why we came," said Wayne Curtis of Miller's Creek, who attended with his wife Wanda, a Kannapolis native.

"We had a family reunion, and some of my relatives were telling me this was the last one," Wanda Curtis said.

They brought their 1960 Chevrolet to the cruise-in, and their hometown friends, Craig and Sherry Greer, drove their 1976 Stingray Corvette.

As usual, the older "classic" cars and muscle cars sat side by side with modern custom sports cars and sedans.

Among those on display were a customized Volkswagen Beetle, a 1996 Impala Super Sport and a number of customized Ford Mustangs, a favorite of enthusiasts.

"This one's got a stage-four Stiegemeier blower, a 276 upper pulley, a four-pound lower pulley and about 18 pounds of boost total," said Adam Hendrick of Kannapolis, showing off his 2003 Mustang Cobra.

The best part of the cruise-in showed in the conversations of people like Cline who use the event as a chance to share tips and stories about their favorite cars while seeing what others have done.

Like the mill and many other things, the cruise-ins in downtown Kannapolis are giving way to progress. But many local residents expressed hope that they might return when the time was right.

"As badly as the elected officials and the city staff want to keep it here, I bet it will come back," Rader said.

Mixed feelings

By Hugh Fisher

Kannapolis Citizen

The end of cruise-ins in Cannon Village has drawn a mix of responses from merchants in the downtown mall.

Sam Falls, owner of Falls Jewelers, said that the monthly car enthusiasts' gatherings have brought his store some business in the two years they've been going on.

"It brought increased visibility and it grew sales," Falls said. "It had a good run."

All the same, Falls said he supports the decision of Cannon Village's owner, David Murdock's Atlantic American Properties, to end the event for the foreseeable future.

"I feel like Atlantic American Properties makes good decisions and they don't make rash decisions," Falls said. "If they feel they need to close this down and focus on what's coming, the biotech, then I'm all for that."

Melissa Wiles, manager of the Dress Barn, said that her store has been open for the entire 20-year history of Cannon Village.

"We've always gotten business from (the cruise-in)," Wiles said, "but the reasons they've given for not having it are valid. There are going to be a lot of changes coming through here, and it would probably impede the fun of the event."

Terri Sparks of Village Furniture said that the cruise-ins weren't having an effect on their business.

"We got a lot of people walking in and out of the store, but it didn't generate a lot of sales for us," Sparks said.

Other retailers said they did notice an impact from the car shows and are going to miss the crowds they drew.

Andrew Lyn, owner of ASL Coffee and Smoothies, said that the cruise-ins brought a lot of business to his store. "I'm not sure what the plans are to replace the money those were bringing in," he said.

But more than that, Lyn said he fears what he called a "backlash" from people unhappy about the event's cancellation.

"I'm afraid that people who came here for the cruise-in might feel slighted and not come back to the village anymore," Lyn said.

"We will miss it. There were people that we saw here every month, every time they came up here," said Cheryl Lambert, assistant manager of The Brass Exchange.

"I think everyone enjoyed it. But I understand if they'll be having to close streets, that they might not be able to continue it," Lambert said.

Mike Mahaley, owner of Village Grill, said that cruise-in crowds were "a tremendous day for me, once a month."

"I'm very unhappy, for my business, that it's leaving," Mahaley said. "But I also understand that change has to come."