Cruise-A-Palooza

            Each Labor Day weekend, hundreds of cars flock to historic Coney Island amusement park on the banks of the Ohio River to take part in the annual Cruise-A-Palooza. This year was no exception.

            Coney Island dates back to the early 1870s when an enterprising Apple farmer realized it was more profitable to rent out his land for picnics and events than to grow fruit. He soon added such amenities as a dining hall, a dance hall and even a bowling alley. By 1886 he had sold the land to two steamboat captains who opened it June of that year, christening it “Ohio Grove, the Coney Island of the West.”

            Over time Coney grew into a full-fledged amusement park that featured Sunlight Pool, still the largest re-circulating pool in the world. And while it doesn’t host as many rides as it once did back in its heyday (and before the birth of nearby Kings Island in the early 1970s), it is still an active destination for many tourists each year.

            This past Labor Day weekend saw a large turnout of classic and collector cars. Here are some of the great vehicles that were on display with more to follow.