Grammy-nominated
bluegrass musician Audie Blaylock of Garrett brought his 1967 Ford
Mustang to a cruise-in Thursday evening in downtown Auburn. (Photo by
Dave Kurtz)
AUBURN — On a night for motors and music in downtown Auburn, the area’s best-known musician came only for the cars.
Audie
Blaylock of Garrett, a Grammy-nominated bluegrass singer and guitar
player, drove his 1967 Ford Mustang GTA Convertible to the courthouse
square for Auburn’s monthly cruise-in.
Dozens of auto
enthusiasts joined him on a clear, comfortable night, parking their
collector cars on three sides of the square and down the middle of Main
Street.
On the northeast corner of the square, karaoke singers
were performing in a tent on the second night of this weekend’s Summer
Serenade.
The sound of well-tuned engines was making music to Blaylocks’ ears.
“I’m
45. I’ve loved Mustangs since I was 4 years old,” he said, explaining
why he chose his car four years ago. “I was looking for a red ’65 … but
I really like this one.
“It’s called Acupulco Blue. It’s different, it’s not red or black.”
A 289-cubic-inch engine with a four-barrel carburetor powers Blaylock’s Mustang.
Blaylock
said he drives the convertible “as much as I can. ... I drive it if I’m
home during the week. Even during the weekends, I’ll drive it to run
errands in.”
He’s been attending Auburn’s cruise-ins “every chance I get” for last two or three years, he said, always in his 1967 Mustang.
A
half-block to the east on Ninth Street, Dave Muzzillo of Auburn was
showing his copper-colored 1968 Chevy Camaro to the cruise-in crowds.
“I
did all the work myself. I worked on it for about five years, totally
took the car all apart and put it all back together,” Muzzillo said.
“It’s
a lot of fun to drive. We have a lot of fun going to cruise-ins. People
are real interested in the car, and there’s a lot of nostalgia there, I
guess,” he added.
Muzzillo’s car features a 396-cubic-inch big block engine and four-speed transmission.
“A
lot of the parts for the car I bought at swap meets and had to overhaul
about all the different parts on there,” he said. “But that’s kind of
what the whole hobby is, doing it yourself and enjoying it and
hands-on.”
The cars will be back for another cruise-in July 24,
but the Summer Serenade festival continues tonight, Saturday night and
Sunday afternoon.
