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Saturday, June 20th, 2015, marked the 31st Anniversary of Onawa’s Graffiti Night as the hottest hot rods, classics, Tri-fives, trucks and koolest kustoms cruised into town.
Graffiti Night has put Onawa, Iowa on the map ever since 1984. The event was inspired by the iconic movie ‘American Graffiti’ and the 1980 movie ‘Hollywood Knights.’ A small group of “Classics” Car Club members wondered why cruise nights they’d read about on the left and right coasts wouldn’t work right here in the Midwest. Club Secretary (at the time) Bill Wonder put it up for a vote one night at the club’s meeting. “Let’s have our own “Graffiti Night.” The name stuck and the Classics Car Club approached Mike Ellis, owner of Michael’s Drive-In, with the idea of hosting such an event at “his place.” From then on, a ‘cruise’ legend was born!! The Classics Car Club sponsored the Blast to the Past Graffiti Night Cruising event.
That first year, 1984, attracted over 80 rods, kustoms and classics from the Tri-State area. The second year, the event attracted over 200 vehicles to the Onawa Drive-In. Graffiti Night/cruising the “Widest Main Street in the US” was a hit.
Within the first 10 years, the event grew so fast it began running out of room as the annual cruise on the “Widest Main Street in the US” and Onawa’s 10th Street “Loop,” became a highlight of the event.
The “Graffit Night/Cruise” event continued to grow, expanding from the original 5:00 to 11:00 p.m. event at the Drive-In to a full-day, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. downtown event. Named one of the Top 10 Cruisin’ Venues in the Nation by Muscle Car Review magazine, Graffiti Night has been recognized in other national and regional automotive magazines, for three decades. The event has attracted vehicles from Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon, Washington State, Texas and California.
Rods, patina'd cars and a couple of the many 1960s classics attended the cruise.
Entertainment in the past included live local bands and the original Coasters and Platters, D.A.R.E. exhibits, Fire/Rescue and Jaws of Life demonstrations, Elvis impersonators, magicians, puppeteers, performances by the local school band and other local singing groups.
The “Classics” have sponsored 50/50 drawings with the proceeds benefiting charities and the club has provided free vendor spaces to local area youth and church groups who have raised significant funds for their various community projects. For years, the Knights of Columbus also used the event for a very successful fund raiser by hosting a huge ‘burger feed’ downtown. From Corvettes to fifties Chevys, showing off your car to spectators was the order of the day.
A few years ago, new policies were put in place by the I.D.O.T. (Iowa Department of Transportation) about closing main highways (even for community festivals). Related expenses to bringing the event into downtown inspired the car club to move the event back to its original location at Michael’s Drive-In. Many participants told us that despite how large the event had grown downtown, times were changing and in more recent years, taking it back to the Drive-In was the “right thing to do.” Michael’s Drive-In sits on a large lot with highway frontage large enough to park hundreds of cars on grass, including their back lot.
The thing about Graffiti Night is that it was an “original” back then. In spite of the fact that you can go to a cruise night in this area on any given Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday night, and on any given weekend, the Graffiti Night Cruise event is still an “original” today.
For those who want a unique experience, Onawa’s Original Blast from the Past Graffiti Night remains a favorite of area car enthusiasts and spectators who want to wax nostalgia, share stories and show off their rides like they did “back in the day”!
Fords and Chevys were the dominant vehicle at the cruise, but Mopars ran a tight second. 
The members of the “Classics” Car Club invite everyone to come to Onawa, Iowa, and share in this unique experience of “the Widest Main Street in America.” If you don’t have a car, come anyway and don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs and get your spots on Main Street and along Onawa’s infamous Tenth Street “Loop” to watch and cheer on hundreds of classic and kustom vehicles as they cruise by.
The 32nd Annual Blast to the Past Graffiti Night will be again be held mid-June, 2016, contact the Classics Car Club at keeponcruisin@hotmail.com for more information.
