Thousands watch classic cruisers in downtown Coeur d'Alene
BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months, 1 week AGO
Vic and LaDawn Beattie wave as they ride their 1967 Mercury Monterey in Car d'Lane Friday night in Coeur d'Alene.
BILL BULEY/Press
Jennifer Ferguson watches Car d'Lane with her granddaughter, Josie Weed, on Friday.
Classics cruise on Sherman Avenue as people watch on Friday.
A car is reflected in a hubcap at Car d'Lane on Friday.
Lines of classics head up Fourth Street on Friday in Coeur d'Alene.
Del and Rosann Lawrence of Coeur d'Alene stand by their 1955 Chevy Cameo pickup before the Car d'Lane cruise on Friday.
A license plate at Car d'Lane.
A muscle car shows off its engine for the crowd at Car d'Lane.
A visitor checks out one of the classics in Car d'Lane.
Adam Blair stands by his 1978 El Camino before the Car d'Lane cruise on Friday.
Kids watch Car d'Lane on Lakeside Avenue on Friday.
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | June 14, 2025 1:00 AM
COEUR d'ALENE — As classic cars of the past cruised Fourth Street on Friday night, Jennifer Ferguson watched from the curb, joined by granddaughter Josie Weed.
The 2-year-old excitedly waved and laughed at times, much to the delight of drivers and passengers who waved back.
For Ferguson, it was the best of both worlds.
“My favorite thing is seeing the community coming out together,” the Cataldo woman said. “It feels like family.”
Thousands of kids and adults lined downtown streets for the annual Car d’Lane cruise that featured vintage vehicles from yesteryear.
For more than two hours, roaring engines, squealing tires, fiery flames and honking horns filled the air as people admired the character and style of the vintage vehicles.
Among them were a 1966 Chevrolet Impala, a 1972 Super Beetle and a 1941 Willys Coupe.
There were convertibles like the 1967 Mercury Monterey driven by Vic Beattie with wife LaDawn riding shotgun.
“We are having fun,” said Vic Beattie, adding his family has five generations in the Post Falls area.
They looked and felt good as they smiled and waved to the crowd, happy to be in the cruise that attracts car owners from throughout the region.
“It’s a great, great show,” Vic Beattie said.
Adam Blair of Coeur d’Alene wore a lime green shirt with black flames to match the paint job on his 1978 Chevrolet El Camino.
He treasures the Chevy he spent years restoring and has owned 16 years.
“I know this car inside and out,” he said as he waited at Second and Lakeside for the cruise to get the green light.
His mom, Carol, flew out from Kansas to join him for Car d'Lane, organized by the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Association.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” she said.
Del and Rosann Lawrence of Coeur d’Alene were in their 1955 Chevrolet Cameo pickup with a “three on the tree,” which they’ve owned for 37 years. It only comes out for special occasions like Car d’Lane, and has only been driven about 600 miles in the past six years.
“I’m scared to death,” something will happen to it, Rosann said.
Del tries to assure her it will be OK.
“It's well insured,” he said, while adding they are indeed protective of it.
“It was a lot of work,” Del said.
The couple own several classics and both have contributed to their restorations.
“Too many,” Rosann said, laughing.
Their shared love of older cars can be traced to family. Rosann was given a 1966 Corvette 427 Stingray by her father.
“I guess I was born with some kind of condition. My dad was into them, my brother was into them,” Del said.
Rod Judd of Spokane debuted his 1968 Dodge Cornet RT that he restored after pulling it from a barn in Deer Park about two years ago, where it had sat since the 1980s.
“It was stripped bare to the metal,” he said.
But Friday, it was a picture-perfect bright orange with black top, gleaming in the fading sunlight. His wife and their three children were planning to ride along in Car d’Lane.
“Friday and Saturday nights my girls always want to go cruising,” Judd said.
He admits he hasn't put many miles on it and wasn’t sure if it could reach Coeur d’Alene. He only told his wife of his plan Wednesday.
“It didn’t overheat,” Judd said, grinning. “We made it.”
The Car d’Lane Show and Shine runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in downtown Coeur d’Alene, with hundreds of beauties on display.
Jennifer Ferguson watches Car d'Lane with her granddaughter, Josie Weed, on Friday.
Classics cruise on Sherman Avenue as people watch on Friday.
A car is reflected in a hubcap at Car d'Lane on Friday.
Lines of classics head up Fourth Street on Friday in Coeur d'Alene.
Del and Rosann Lawrence of Coeur d'Alene stand by their 1955 Chevy Cameo pickup before the Car d'Lane cruise on Friday.
A license plate at Car d'Lane.
A muscle car shows off its engine for the crowd at Car d'Lane.
Adam Blair stands by his 1978 El Camino before the Car d'Lane cruise on Friday.
Kids watch Car d'Lane on Lakeside Avenue on Friday.
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