St. John Lutheran Church hosts annual Triple Nickel Cruise-In

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — If it has wheels, it’s welcome at the Triple Nickel Country Cruise-In.

St. John Lutheran Church hosted their 7th Annual Cruise-In Saturday afternoon. The grass-roots event which features, food, music, raffle and 50-50 prizes, continues to grow in support and attendance each year.

“It started out very small, and it is getting bigger every single year. We’re only about 10 minutes into the event and we’re already up to 125 vehicles and there’s more on the way. We really enjoy doing this for the community– it’s free, free admission, no vehicle entry fee. We give back to the community, we continue these type of events; it’s been a very great effort for the last six years,” said Brandon Wood who is an event coordinator, as well as the DJ.

All the funds raised at Saturday’s Cruise-In go towards the group’s community outreach efforts. They support an organization called PRAYER (Parish Reaching Area Youth Ensuring Righteousness), which is a youth family group. They host free events such as movie night, a concert, and the “Stovertown Stomps.”

In addition to PRAYER, they also use they money to give back to the community. Last year they purchased Christmas gifts for kids and provided financial support to families in need.

Wood says that there is a lot of work that goes into putting on this event each year, and a lot of volunteers working behind the scenes to make it possible. He says they start early in the year reaching out to local and national businesses and organizations for support. Many provide gifts and prizes that are raffled off to event attendees.

There were over 120 items, worth thousands of dollars, raffled off to spectators on Saturday. Items included grills, chairs, gift cards, and much more.

Wood adds that it’s important for them to support the community with a cost friendly entertainment option.

“It is very important for us to give back to the community. There is not a whole lot to do out in this area and we invite people from all around, but we want something a little closer to people’s communities around here that they can do and it’s a family friendly event, controlled environment. You can bring your family of five here, and not break the bank. So we’re really excited about that,” Wood added.

The Cruise-In welcomed cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, tractors, and more. The event also included entertainment for kids with a bounce house, pedal pull, and horseback rides; all free of charge.