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.
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.
