The wonderful thing about doing an Autopian event is that a bunch of Autopians from other parts of the country pipe up and request one in their own backyard. While I’d love to do a meetup simultaneously with everyone, everywhere, pretty much all the time (which, virtually, is basically our Discord), there are some physical restrictions. Hearing the pleas after our Lime Rock track day, though, I had the idea to tack on a couple of meetups to a press trip I have next week. If you’re in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or the surrounding areas I’d love to see you.
Ford has invited me to drive some customized Broncos, Mustangs, and more (I’m hoping the more is Mavericks) at an event being held at Michigan International Speedway in the middle of next week. Rather than fly in and fly out, I’m going to attempt to get The Morning Dump done and speed off to Parma, Ohio on July 21st for a meetup, sneak up to MIS, and then do a Detroit meetup on July 22nd.
Below are all the details that you need to know and a little poll to see if y’all are coming.
Ohio Meetup On July 21st @ 6:30 PM @ Mission BBQ
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- What: A chance to meet up with me and, more importantly, a bunch of cool fellow Autopians. We’ll grab food at the BBQ place in the parking lot.
- Where: Mission BBQ @ 8225 West Ridgewood Drive Parma, OH 44129 and the Walmart/Dicks parking lot.
- When: Tuesday, July 21st @ 6:30 PM until everyone gets too tired.
Detroit Meetup On July 22nd @ 6:00 PM @ Troy Walmart
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- What: A chance to meet up with me and, more importantly, a bunch of cool fellow Autopians. We’ll also order pizza.
- Where: 2001 W Maple Rd, Troy, MI 48084 in the Walmart parking lot.
- When: Wednesday, July 22nd at 6:00 PM until everyone gets too tired.
That’s it! Let me know in the comments if I’ve forgotten some key piece of information. I’ll probably be driving up in a Ford Explorer Tremor, which is pretty cool.
Top photo: Dylan Madden
“Stuck here in Parma!” – Google it. “Parma State of Mind”
The yellow AMX will be in attendance…
Welcome to Cleveland, Matt! Parma is where I bowl every week 🙂
I’ll be attending the Detroit Meetup. A side trip can be a pilgrimage to the original Chez Tracy, which is about 5 miles from the Troy Walmart. The backyard appears to be healing, and the Earth has not yet reclaimed the humble abode.
I generally avoid the west side unless going to the airport, but I’m in for this!
I hope to bring my 1993 Rover 220 Tomcat to the Detroit meetup. I get back from the U.K. that day and my brain could be like refried shit after that flight. Too bad Mercedes won’t be there with her MGF. I’d love to have her car and mine in the same picture. Two huge missed opportunities for the Rover Group.
Hell yeah – hopefully the weather holds out for next Wednesday, cause right now it’s looking pretty tasty!
Well, shoot! I moved away from the Cleveland metroplex about 33 years too early.
Let us know when you’re going to do an event in the great Pacific Northwest!
Nothing this good has ever happened in Parma before…
will there be an email reminder if you said maybe?
Goddammitsomuch – no way I can make Parma on a Tuesday.
Same :-/ The one day of the week I work evenings. It’s close at least! Some day…
Im down in the CMH, so its a couple hours up there. Had it been a weekend, ida done it
I realize that car blog world is fast paced but have you given any consideration to planning these events early enough so the working class can request time off and plan to attend? Just saying my company wants 2 weeks notice to plan in the event of my death.
Too bad. You’re about 10 days too early.
I’ll be taking my El Camino on a road trip from far-northern Wisconsin most likely through lower Michigan into Elkhart, Indiana on my annual pilgrimage to Elcofest to meet up with other El Camino owners from all over. That’s happening Friday evening, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st this year.
Of course, like last year, it’s going to be a hot drive with only the 2/70 A/C.
(2 windows down at 70 mph)
Meeting in Troy right as Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is hitting theaters? Shouldn’t this be happening in Ithaca NY?
lol
Maybe intercourse Pennsylvania because this movie is screwed
I didn’t really feel like wrenching in the heat this week, but I’ll throw the Heavy Chevy back together for THIS occasion in Parma!
Get Drew Carey and Moon over Parma bring my love to me tonite…
I sure hope the Detroit Diplomat is there so Matt can see it in person.
Damn that’s the other side of the state from me, otherwise I would be there
Ugh July 22nd I will be visiting Ford Hermosillo Plant (27 Ford Maverick build event), have fun !
South! Head south!!! Texas! Oklahoma! Arkansas!
Woohoo!!
If Ford wanted to make a statement, rather than use the maintained surface of a racetrack, would be to drive from Michigan into Ohio so that you could get a full gamut of “moon crater” roads of Michigan to “reasonably decent” in Ohio.
Looking forward to it! Now I need to speed along with my interior mods so I don’t show up with the embarrassment of missing trim
Guess I gotta wash the Si now…
I’ll be there for the Detroit one. I’ll be in the Chrysler 300; I don’t feel like driving the truck that far.
Dammit. Wednesday night in Detroit? THAT’S THE ONE NIGHT I’M BUSY THAT WEEK.
Too bad. You all would have loved the ’92 LeBaron convertible.
Drive down to Ohio!
I’m from Michigan. “Drive down to Ohio!” is a threatening statement. I’ll just have to wait until the next one.
We have them somewhat regularly organized via Discord. And of course we can blackmail the staff to join us!
Booo
Michigangers cant handle the buckeye…
Buckeyes are nuts…
Go Buckeyes! Lol. I lived in Cleveland for 2.5 years, but I love Michigan too. Work trips to Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids and recreational trips to Ann Arbor and Mackinac Island over the years. All fun. I haven’t been to the UP, yet. But it’s on my list.
I was in Cleveland for four. Fell in love with the place but also happy to get out of there. You gotta check out the UP as its true wilderness. I lived in Detroit for 6 months and just couldn’t believe how many conversations I heard of people just talking TRASH on Ohio. Its like their national pastime or something.
Ha! Yeah. The love to hate goes both ways. The OSU alums I knew always referred to UM as TTUN. That team up north. Couldn’t even mention the full name. My kid did his first year of undergraduate at tOSU because the state of Washington reserves so many spots for out of state and out of country students because they pay higher tuition rates. He was able to transfer for his second year. I will say the UM’s campus was a lot prettier than tOSU. But UW (Washington) has a beautiful campus as well. He ended up going to the other UW (Wisconsin) for law school. I like all three states mentioned. I just wish it wasn’t so cold and icy in the winter.
I went to Cleveland for law school. And now I get to tell my future kids that I had to walk uphill in the snow to school BOTH WAYS (it was flat, but it felt uphill). also, snow driving is so much damn fun for a kid that started doing rally cross at 16. Only got stuck(ish) in one snowbank.
I imagine Washington was a beautiful campus. I only bopped around tOSU once during the summer. I laughed when I first moved to cleveland and I was told that there was only one professional football team in Ohio.
Well, flying into Cincinnati, you actually land in Kentucky. Not a bad airport, though.
And for a state its size, Ohio has a lot of law schools! In Cleveland it’s what… Case Western and CSU?
As far as hills go, I rented just off Shaker Square and then bought a house in University Heights. In the winter I surfed down the steep driveway in my slippers and then walked up on the frozen grass. Getting cars up the driveway often involved backing up the neighbor’s driveway across the street and then gunning it.
That aside, I had a good time in Cleveland. The “flyover” states have charming spots. Growing up in CA, I was unaware of them until I lived or did work assignments in them.
I have never flown into cincy, but have spent a few weekends there and even more in Kentucky rock climbing. You are right about the law schools there. Ohio has a good amount of colleges generally.
Ahh, yea, I forgot about university heights. I went to CSU so, much flatter. Lived downtown and then Tremont.
as a native californian, winter was certainly a wake up call and you are so right about the charming spots in all the flyover states. I still remember the day I got my OH drivers license. First snow of the season, 2002 civic with balding tires. Had to stop at a train track with a decent grade. Once the arms went up, I spent what felt like 2 minutes spinning the tires to try and get up, with the line of cars honking and I can only imagine cursing my california license plate.
Is it Jon Voight’s?! Does it have a chewed pencil in the glovebox? Oh wait, that was an 84…ha ha.