Published: June 25, 2009 09:00 pm      

Custom cars, arts and crafts hlighlight Cruise

Somerset — Custom show cars and Kentucky arts and crafts will come together at The Center for Rural Development tonight at the Somernites Cruise Friday Night Block Party, hosted by The Center and the Somerset Walmart.

Block Party visitors will get a sneak peek at some of the region’s one-of-a-kind handmade crafts on display and on sale at The Center at the third annual Kentucky Appalachian Craft Fair from 6 to 8 p.m.

The craft fair will continue through the weekend — Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon till 5 p.m. The event will feature original crafts produced by juried artists and crafters from ten regional craft organizations comprising the Kentucky Appalachian Craft Council.

Admission to the outdoor Friday Night Block Party is free. Call (606) 677-6000 for information about admission to the craft fair.

The Kentucky Appalachian Craft Fair is sponsored by The Center, TOUR SEKY, the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED), Somerset-Pulaski Convention and Visitors Bureau, Pulaski Fiscal Court, and the Appalachian Artisan Center.

Outside The Center, custom show cars and trucks will abound as participants in this month’s Somernites Cruise weekend roll into town and kick things off with the Friday Night Block Party. The official theme of this month’s party is “Tri-Five Chevy” — featuring cars from the late 1950s which started the mainstream hot rod restoration craze.

Monticello’s Klassyc Tymes will entertain the Block Party crowd from 7 to 10 p.m. with rock hits from the 1950s.

The Center is located at 2292 South U.S. 27 (at stoplight 15) in Somerset.

Somernites Cruise is a free classic and custom vehicle show and cruise held on the fourth weekend of every month, rain or shine, in downtown Somerset between April and October.

Vehicles brought to the show are not judged, although awards are given monthly to the car owner who travels the longest distance to attend.

With the heat of competition off their backs, both seasoned and novice car owners can relax and enjoy local food and oldies tunes as they stroll among the colorful rows of vehicles which pack the streets and parking lots.

Even those who don’t have cars of their own enjoy coming to downtown Somerset for a walk down memory lane.

There are plenty of Somernites activities this weekend besides Friday nights events. Here’s a schedule:

• Today, June 26

Locals and out-of-towners are invited to a “meet and greet” session at the Somerset-Pulaski Convention and Visitors Bureau, one block west of K-Mart on East Ky. 80. Free T-shirts and refreshments will be available from noon to 2 p.m.

The Friday Night Block Party will be held at The Center for Rural Development from 6 to 10 p.m. (See above.)

• Saturday, June 27

Cruisers who want to rise and shine early Saturday can join in on the Saturday Morning Fun Run. This month, Fun Run participants will be traveling to the Mill Springs Battlefield in Nancy to witness a Living History event, in which reenactors will provide a firsthand look at a Civil War camp.

A free breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. at the Grand Central Shopping Center parking lot, the official meeting spot for the Fun Run caravan. The group will depart for Nancy promptly at 9:30 a.m., and will return in time for the afternoon’s activities in Somerset.

The downtown Somerset Public Library will hold a county-wide quilt show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The weekend’s main event, the “Show and Shine” portion of Somernites, begins in downtown Somerset at 2 p.m. Visitors should bring their walking shoes, and be prepared to stroll among the many show cars to the sound of oldies tunes.

The vendors’ area in the parking lot at the corner of East Mt. Vernon Street and South Central Avenue has everything from snacks to auto parts.

June is Tri-Five Chevy month at Somernites. Nothing says cruising like seeing a ‘55, ‘56, or ‘57 classic vehicle rolling down the highway. All models of 1955-1957 vehicles will be given a special area inside the Show and Shine area.

As an added bonus this month, owners of Hollywood movie or TV show replica cars are encouraged to bring their vehicles.

The 12th Annual Cool Run and Walk will be held at 7 p.m. Participants can run or walk on closed streets and parking areas in and around the downtown area. The event begins and ends at the Rocky Hollow Recreation Center. Registration will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

At 8 p.m., get ready for “Cruisin’ the Strip” — when Somernites Cruise moves from the downtown area to U.S. 27 for a parade of vehicles before thousands of onlookers who park at various locations along the road.