Pin up girl - WKTV Journal

The deadline for entries for the annual Metro Cruise annual Pin Up Girl Contest is June 23.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

The signs of woodies and rag-tops, steel wagons and coupes. Roadsters running the length of 28th street and big-block V8s growling as they pass by. And of course we can’t forget the chrome, lots and lots of it sparkling in the sun.

Believe it or not, but the annual kick off to one of the area’s biggest car cruising events is this weekend. The annual Metro Cruise Dust-Off takes places from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Wyoming Moose Lodge #763 located at 2630 Burlingame Ave. SW.

The event has become an annual tradition and a kick off to the summer car shows with car owners finally being able to show off what has been stored under those tarps.

“We hope to have 100 – 150 cars at the Dust Off on Saturday,” said Bob O’Callaghan, president/CEO of the Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the annual event. O’Callaghan added that the first 50 collector car owners get a free Dust-Off shirt, which have become a collector’s item.

And while the Metro Cruise itself — which is Aug. 25 and 26 — is still about four months away, planning and preparation for the annual event, which marks its 13th year this year, have been well under way with several deadlines fast approaching.

The popular Art Cruise hosted by the Wyoming Business Leaders has already put a call out for artists for this year’s show. Similar to Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize, several Wyoming businesses feature the work of various local artists during the month of August, the same month as the Metro Cruise.

Interested artists have until June 1 to sign up to participate. The cost is $10, which is used to help cover marketing materials. For more information or to sign up, contact Donna Kuba, who runs Instant Cash Advance, at 616-261-4500 or email her at artcruisewyoming@gmail.com.

Entries for the annual Pin Up Girl contest are also being accepted. The Pin Up Girl contest will take place July 8 at the American Legion Post 154, 2327 Byron Center Ave. SW. The final competition will take place during Metro Cruise on Aug. 26, rain or shine according to O’Callaghan who said this year space has been reserved in Rogers Plaza for the contest if the weather is not cooperating.

Application deadline is June 23. All contestants must provide a head shot and full body shot with costume and makeup. Those interested should email the JA PR Group at staff@japrgroup.com.

For details and up-to-date information, make sure to visit 28thstreetmetrocruise.com or visit the Metro Cruise Facebook page at Facebook.com/metrocruise.

Pin ups — The preliminary round for this year’s 28th Street Metro Cruise Pin Up Girls Contest featured 14 young ladies who were narrowed down to 10 finalist. Those finalists will compete for the title this Saturday.

A few years ago, Stacey Davis was walking through the 28th Street Metro Cruise when she happened upon the Pin Up Girl contest at Rogers Plaza.

“My dad restores classic cars so I grew up going to car shows like the Metro Cruise every summer,” said Davis, whose stage name is Ginger Snaps. “I grew up seeing the girls in the poodle skirts, the Marilyn Monroe impersonators and I saw the Metro Cruise contest and decided to sign up.”

Last year, the former Grand Rapids resident, who recently moved to Midland, was crowned Miss Metro Cruise 2015.

“It definitely helped with my confidence to know that I had won that title,” Davis said, adding that it has been a fun time visiting with little girls and meeting new people. “It was a great experience.”

This year Davis is joined by Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll and Jeremiah White, owner of Reflections Salon, to judge the 2016 Pin Up Girl Contest which is part of the Metro Cruise fun. The even takes place Saturday, Aug. 27, from 1 – 3 p.m. at Rogers Plaza.

ginger snaps — The 2015 28th Street Metro Cruise Pin Up is Stacey Davis a.k.a. Ginger Snaps.

The Pin Up Girl Contest has been a longstanding tradition at Metro Cruise, said Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce Bob O’Callaghan. And it makes sense. Flip through any car magazine and within the first few pages you will see a very pretty girl next to a candid apple red street racer or a bright green hotrod.

The pin up girl is an interesting American phenomenon which was born in the 1800s through magazines like Life, boomed in the 1930s due to the calendars of Brown and Bigelow, and peaked during World War II. Today, pin up girls remain a fabric of the American cultural and an ode to what many have called “a simpler time.”

For the 28th Street Metro Cruise Pin Up Girl Contest, there was a preliminary contest in July where the number of girls were narrowed down to 10 finalist who will compete for the title on Saturday. The girls come from all over to compete in the contest, which this year is being organized by JA PR Group.

Spectators are welcomed to watch and cheer for their favorite.

Rogers Plaza serves as the central spot for the Metro Cruise with a host of activities taking place all around the mall. The “DreamWheels!” television program will be broadcasting live from Rogers Plaza as well Cascade’s Pal’s Diner from 6 – 7:30 p.m. Pete Chapouris from So-Cal Speed Shop will be signing autographs at the Rogers Plaza tent for Steve’s Antique Auto Repair.

For more, visit 28thstreetmetrocruise.com.