Welcome home: Kenosha Homecoming Car Show is off and running

Richard Gregoire brought his award-winning 1969 SC/Rambler back to where it was born on Tuesday (July 26).

The Winnipeg, Canada, resident was one of thousands of AMC enthusiasts expected to travel near and far for the weeklong Kenosha Homecoming Car Show continuing through Sunday (July 31) in Kenosha.

The biggest AMC event in the world got its wheels spinning on Tuesday at the Evening Car Cruise-in at Ruffolo’s Special Pizza 2, 3931 45th St.

Gregoire, 67, and his wife Joanne, drove nearly 900 miles to show off their patriotic red-white-blue SC/Rambler and take in the festivities along Kenosha’s beautiful lakefront.

“We really enjoy it here,” said Richard Gregoire, who is attending his fourth consecutive Kenosha Homecoming Car Show. “We’ve gotten to know quite a few people coming here for years. We enjoy looking at all the cars.”

The Gregoires’ 1969 SC/Rambler won the America’s Cup Award at the AMO International Convention on June 30, 2018 in Auburn, Ind.

The Kenosha Homecoming Car Show, hosted by the Kenosha History Center, returns for the first time since 2017. It was postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19.

The event is highlighted by a one-of-a-kind car show and swap meet on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kennedy Park. The show is free for spectators.

The Homecoming Car Show Parade rolls off at 4 p.m. Friday. 

Classic cars, staged at the Southport Beach House, travel from Southport Park through Downtown Kenosha and through Pennoyer Park and Kennedy Park. The parade continues through Simmons Island and crosses the finish line at the Kenosha History Center.

A Kenosha Homecoming Block Party is set to begin after the parade at the Kenosha History Center.

“It really has a feel of a family reunion of sorts,” said Chris Allen, Kenosha History Center Executive Director. “We have people that literally come from around the world. I talked with a group that’s coming in from Australia. The Canadians are coming. People from across Europe are flying into Kenosha. 

“They’re going to spend the week in their mecca, back home where American Motors and Nash cars were made. It brings together tens of thousands of people. For people of Kenosha, a lot of people that worked in the factories get to see these cars again. It’s a lot of fun.”

Schedule of events

TUESDAY, July 26

• Evening Car Cruise-in at Ruffolo’s Special Pizza 2, 3931 45th St. (4-8 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY, July 27

• Open House at Alfano Performance AMC Speed Shop, 3401 Roosevelt Road (11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
• Dyno Day at Don’s Auto Parts & Machine Shop, 6814 39th Ave. (Noon-4 p.m.). There is a fee to have your car tested.
• Racing at Great Lakes Dragaway, 18411 1st St., Union Grove (5 p.m.), There is a fee.
• Evening Car Cruise-in at Mars Cheese Castle, 2800 West Frontage Road (4-8 p.m.)

THURSDAY, July 28

• Daytime Car Cruise-in at The Sandlot Bar and Grill, 9251 Antioch Road, Salem (10 a.m.-2 p.m.)
• Gremlin Event at Jeffery Elementary School, 4011 87th St. (1-2 p.m.)
• Evening Car Cruise-in at Filomena’s Restaurant and Cortese’s Banquet Hall, 1300 Sheridan Road (4-8 p.m.)

FRIDAY, July 29

• Homecoming Car Show Swap Meet at Kennedy Park, 4051 5th Ave. (8 a.m.-4 p.m.). There is a fee to have a space at the swap meet.
• Ice Cream Social at Nash Elementary School, 6801 99th Ave. (1 p.m.). Ice cream will be available to purchase.
• Homecoming Car Show “Parade” – Staging at Southport Beach House parking lot, 7501 2nd Ave. Depart Southport Park at 4 p.m., travel west on 78th St., right on 7th Ave., continue through Downtown Kenosha, Continue on 6th Ave., right into Pennoyer Park, continue through Kennedy Park, continue through Simmons Island Park, end at Kenosha History Center for Kenosha Homecoming Block Party event.
• Kenosha Homecoming Block Party at Kenosha History Center, 220 51st Pl. (4-8 p.m.)

SATURDAY, July 30

• 2022 Kenosha Homecoming Car Show & Swap Meet at Kennedy Park, 4051 5th Ave. (8 a.m.-4 p.m.). There is a fee to show your car or have a space at the swap meet. Free for spectators.

SUNDAY, July 31

• Racing at Great Lakes Dragaway, 18411 1st St., Union Grove (9 a.m.). There is a fee.