History of the Cruzaders Classic Car Club

Prior to the Cruzaders club being formed John Booth was running his latest cruise night on the East Mountain at a Tim Horton's coffee shop; corner of Upper Gage Ave and Fennell Avenue in a Plaza. The cruise night ran every alternate Tuesday and ran until 9.00 pm. The stores in the Plaza closed at 6.00 pm so there was plenty of parking until the 9.00 pm opening came into effect. Not good news for a cruise night now having restricted parking for classic cars.

So John Booth and a colleague, Ted Willoughby, went over to one of Ted's friends who had just opened up an ice cream parlor called Peggy Sue's Ice Cream Parlor on Nebo Road in Hamilton. John having secured the parking lot of Cashways Lumber (as it was called then) opposite the parlor, came up with the name of "Peggy Sue's Cruisers" John designed the logo and a local embroidery shop managed to supply the satin '50's style jackets and so John and Ted started Peggy Sue's Cruisers car club together. It was a Sunday cruise night. The year May 1987

They also started a new cruise night venue after being asked by the City of Hamilton to do so. This was at Pier 4 Park. The idea being to attract people to see what $11,000,000 of tax payer's money had built. The park land was reclaimed from Lake Ontario.

Since that time it has become a great place to cruise to on Thursday evenings. There is a permanent stage; changing rooms for artists plus, restrooms. The park will hold 400 cars on landscaped grass. There is a pier and a children's play area with a restored tugboat on rubber sand with giant water cannons on its deck. It also has swings, slides and a beach with access for swimming.

There are two trackless trains with carriages that take people along the 5 mile paved trail of the waterfront. Hot food and drinks can be had, along with ice cream, serving not only the cruisers but the public and tourists. The cruise nights start in June through to the middle of September every year.

The club also puts on a special Thursday evening show, thanks to Cruise Nationals of Toronto called "Cruise Nationals", from 5.30 pm until 9.00 pm. This show features many automotive sponsors and vendors. There is live entertainment throughout the evening .

The success of the club extended to New York with doing fund raisers for Mercy Flights of New York and their flying medics. A chapter of Cruzaders was formed in Derby, New York - just south of Buffalo.

In 1999 the club name was revised to "Cruzaders Classic Car Club". Then in 2008 the club was nominated for an award by the Tourism Board of Hamilton at a banquet in the city. In 2009 it was voted the best cruise venue in the whole of Southern Ontario by the Canadian Rodders magazine, out of 47 other contenders. To date the club has helped 35 charitable organizations and started, or assisted in starting, nine cruise nights around the area.

Cruzaders Classic Car Club
Phone: 519-751-7681