Cruise Nights on Genesee Street

IRON RIVER — Fred Hauser found his love for classic cars after he retired from 43 years of working with commercial printing presses.
Hauser had a Model A pickup truck he used to drive around to sell hot dogs and brats for the Tractor Club during Rodeo weekend. He’d stop at Mr. T’s Restaurant where it got a lot of attention. Then Paul Tomlinson, the owner of Mr. T’s at the time, brought one of his own classic cars down to the restaurant and that’s how the cruise nights began.
Hauser had never ran a car show before but he learned quickly.
The Cruise Nights ran for three years at Mr. T’s. It started with only five cars, then it jumped to 25, then 30. There were 50-70 cars for the last show.
The attendance for the shows varied as well. There were some nights when only 100-200 people would pass through and other nights could be upwards of 1200-1500 people.
Hauser was reluctant to cut ties with Mr. T’s, but in the end he decided it would be best for the Cruise Nights to move over to Genesee Street.
Downtown Iron River looks great according to Hauser. He said they had a cleanup committee last year but it wasn’t necessary because there was nothing to clean up. People left it just the way they found it.
Hauser is also very appreciative of the outpouring of support he has received from the community. That support will carry over to this year’s Cruise Nights that will take place every Tuesday night in August from 5-7 p.m.