It’s been a minute…
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Thursday cruise nights have always been a thing here in McAllen. I started going out back in 2004, when I told my parents where I was going they even brought up that cruise nights were a thing back when they were in high school. The automotive scene in the Rio Grande Valley is nothing new, but the state of things is definitely new.
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I wasn’t expecting a large turnout like the way things used to be. Back then you’d find several parking lots throughout the city full of cars hanging out. Everyone would walk around checking out the rides, catch up with friends, and on occasion get things set up and locked in for some fun. That was 20 years ago though, and times change. I reached out to my friends in EuroFanatics since they’re consistently posted up in the same spot. A spot that they have decided to keep private, and if you wanna chill with no problems – you get the address. And for this reason, I’ve decided to make sure no markings are on any of the buildings. I got to talk with Roberto (EF) about some upcoming events that I’ll be at for media. Talked a little bit about his wife’s VW that they’ve been dialing in, along with some other members of their crew. Then a series of cars pulled up, an Audi leading the way followed by a “Whatsup Bob!” – EMC2 had arrived. It was great ending things at this location by running into some familiar faces – but the my goal for the night was to drive around and check out what else was happening.
The next spot is no secret. The Starbucks location off Trenton eventually became the “spot” back in the day, and while there were also only a handful of cars out this night – the vibes were the same as they used to be. It didn’t matter if you pulled up in an import or domestic, there was always this sort of synergy happening. It made for a great collective of rides to all come together, which can be a rare thing to find. I caught up with Team Hats Off for a bit, talked about an upcoming event in Harlingen that I’ll be covering and some plans to get their rides ready for the drift demo out there. I struck up a conversation with two guys who were hanging out. One brought out his right hand drive S2000 with some plans to freshen up the engine. The other brought his gen 2 Lightning that was just purchased from up north.
The night ended early, but it all got me thinking that while the turnout isn’t what it used to be, at it’s core – it still all feels the same. And this is something that is greatly missed in the local community. Hanging out for the sake of just hanging out. Not everything needs to try to go viral. Not everything needs to be a “cars and coffee” event. Not everything requires a participation trophy. And thank fuck that not everything needs to be a parking lot full of idiots burning out and doing donuts in a “take over” manner. Whether law enforcement has cracked down even harder than they used to, or new parts getting installed to talk about are far in between so meeting up every week gets repetitive – I’m not sure. And maybe I just found myself on an incredibly slow night and things are usually insanely packed haha. But for the sake of the next generation of enthusiasts – I hope they realize that it isn’t always about being noticed, but about something bigger.
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Photos and Words by : Bobby Villarreal