American Dream

Cruisin' together on a Friday night

Enthusiasts: Street Survivors gather weekly in the summer to stay in tune with a shared passion of vintage automobiles.

By Chris Yakaitis
Special To The Sun

August 17, 2005

Quotes:

At 6:15 p.m. on a recent Friday, Fred Vollmerhausen blasts Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs' 1960 hit "Stay" over the Brooklyn Park Shopping Center parking lot.

As president of Street Survivors of Maryland, he's the master of ceremonies and deejay for cruise night, a gathering of vintage automobile owners from Anne Arundel County and southern Baltimore. The group gathers every Friday night throughout the summer behind the KFC on Ritchie Highway, typically drawing dozens of cars and the gaze of passing shoppers.

With a soundtrack of 1950s and '60s rock 'n' roll singles in the background, the Street Survivors, their friends and curious Brooklyn Park residents stroll through aisles of gleaming metallic cars from the '30s through the '80s. They peer into popped hoods that reveal immaculately restored engines, from their original hose lines down to every factory-issued bolt.

Vollmerhausen, 65, is as colorful as the cherry red Chevys and baby blue DeSotos that surround him. He wears a bright blue shirt with striking red and yellow flames rising from the bottom, the top three buttons left open to reveal three gold chains -- one unadorned, one with a cross and one with Elvis Presley's "TCB" logo.

It's a wardrobe perfectly in tune with an informal event that speaks to personal pride, shared passions and nostalgia for a simpler time.

For every owner present, the cars represent something more than a set of eye-catching wheels.

"They've all got their own personal value," says Vollmerhausen, the retired owner of an auto repair shop. "So I never turn around
and say, 'Man, that's a piece of junk.'"

Seated among the Stingrays, Cobras and Mustangs are proud owners in collapsible camp chairs whose conversation topics range from a coming auto show to a child's progress in school or a relative's illness. The group's official membership hovers around 80, but cruise nights are open to anyone.

The Friday gatherings typically begin in early April and run until Halloween. The official time bracket is 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., but members often linger until close to midnight. On this particular humid night, convertibles and street rods pull in through the evening while the sun sets.

Copyright © 2005, The Baltimore Sun