More than 230 classic cars tour downtown South Bend

SOUTH BEND — Jane Morgan of Swartz Creek, Mich., sat content as her 14-year-old grandson, Elias Morgan, sprayed and buffed the fenders of the shiny black 1996 Chevrolet Corvette that was sitting on Michigan Street Monday during the Back to the Bricks Founders promo car show.

Morgan, a grandmother of seven, was quick to point out that the car she and her husband bought to fulfill his lifelong dream still has all the original equipment — except for tires.

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"This was something he always wanted from high school," Jane Morgan said. "We were in our 60s when we got it. I told him we would never be able to get in and out of this. And he says, 'We'll always find a way to get in and out of it.'"

Morgan's Corvette was one of more than 230 vintage and classic vehicles in town for a one-day stop of the Back to the Bricks Founders promo tour. The Back to the Bricks group stages an annual car show in Flint, and Monday's stop in South Bend served as a promotion for the group's upcoming car show and cruise event on Aug. 14-19.

Michigan Street in the heart of the city was stop No. 3 of the promo tour that began Friday in Adrian, Mich., and took the group to Auburn, Ind., on Sunday before Monday's stop in South Bend. The vehicles then left for Battle Creek for a Tuesday show before finishing the tour with a chance to see the Gilmore Car Museum northeast of Kalamazoo.

Morgan's husband died two years ago, but her son took her to car shows after his death. This year, her grandson accompanied her to the South Bend stop of the Founders tour of vehicles.

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"It's just fun to do, to travel and to show off the car," Morgan said. "The Back to the Bricks (tour) is to promote the industry that was Detroit and Flint, that used to be the prime production places."

While the classic vehicles lined the street, Garrett Brabec eyed a shiny blue 1960s Pontiac GTO and said it was his favorite car. The reason? Two stuffed tigers were sitting in the windows.

The Brabec family was at the car show looking at the vehicles. Garrett's older sister, Hailey, said she liked the gray Corvette, but the family said it was early in their visit.

Making friends

For Yvonne Cleaver of Fort Gratiot, Mich., the friendships and the adventures are worth the travel and issues associated with car shows.

Sitting behind her 1967 Olds Cutlass, Cleaver said that although she sometimes cannot remember the names of the many people she meets at car shows, she often sees people she has met and enjoys the camaraderie.

And although the cars are the draw for many owners, sometimes the cars do not cooperate.

Pat Lozano, of Linden, Mich., said her classic Chevy Camaro is sitting in her driveway at home. "It would not start, so I decided to come anyway," Lozano said as she revealed she drove her Ford Explorer. "We paid for the rooms and I was planning to go anyway," she said as she parked her vehicle on the end where few would notice it.

Car show helps communities

The Back to the Bricks car tour offers communities a way to see classic cars while the organization spreads word of the August car show and events.

Craig Palmer, the captain of the South Bend stop on the tour, said sometimes just getting more than 200 cars to a show is a fun accomplishment.

"Well, it's a stop for us. But economically, there's usually an impact for the merchants that are close to the epicenter (of the car show)," Palmer said.

If you go

The 19th annual Back to the Bricks Car Show and Cruise takes place in various venues in Flint on Aug. 14-19.

For information about the Main Event Week activities, go to: backtothebricks.org.

Email Tribune staff writer Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Back to the Bricks car show in downtown South Bemnd