Annual car cruise creates fabulous '50s fun

CAROLINE LOBSINGER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 2 weeks AGO

Young classic car fans didn't let a steady drizzle dampen their fun as they watch of few of the hundreds of cars pass by on First Avenue during the annual Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.
Photo by CAROLINE LOBSINGER

Young classic car fans show their appreciation of the classic cars passing by their First Avenue location during the annual Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

Young classic car participants use an umbrella to keep them dry as they take part in the annual Lost in the '50s classic car cruise on Friday.

Dale Coffelt, selected as the "Spirit of the '50s" parade marshal, smiles as he's driving down the parade route during Friday's Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

Annette Borges and Nathan Shapiro stay warm under a thick blanket and dry under a big umbrella as they wait for the start of the classic car cruise as Lost in the '50s fun kicked off on Friday.

Scenes from the 2025 Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

Dennis Gage, host of "My Classic Car" says hello during the in the '50s classic car cruise on Friday.

Scenes from the 2025 Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

SANDPOINT — A little rain didn't stop the dancing.

Or the music.

Or the hundreds of class rides making their way on a slow cruise through downtown Sandpoint as Lost in the '50s brought the fun of the era into Sandpoint.

It just meant a few umbrellas — both on the sidewalks and some of the cars — as fans of the '50s worked to stay dry.

No one wanted to miss the fun.

"We've been coming (to the parade) since we were kids," Annette Borges as she sat with family huddled under a thick blanket and an oversized umbrella overhead to ward off the drizzle that kept a steady presence throughout the hour-plus-long parade.

Nathan Shapiro said the family loves coming to the parade and wasn't going to let a little rain stop them.

Shapiro, who worked with Lost in the '50s founder Carolyn Gleason off and on over the years at her restaurant, Second Avenue Pizza, said he has fond memories of help her with past events and seeing all of the cars and legendary musicians come through.

"It's fun seeing the town shut down and everyone coming together," Shapiro said.

From the parade to the street dance on Friday night to the car show on Saturdays, the event is just so much fun, Borges said.

"It's just Sandpoint history," she added. "It's just something that feels like home because we've been doing it for so long."

The pair love watching for their favorite cars — Corvettes and Porsches for Borges and "shiny" cars for Shapiro — and Borges has fond memories of the poodle skirts made by her mother that she would wear to Lost in the '50s events.

For friends Joy Snow, Colleen Piatt, Sage Piatt, Galen Hill and Sally Suppiger, the event offers a chance to dress up and have fun celebrating the fun of the '50s and community. Each year, the group picks a theme — last year, it was as nurses; this year, they went with an "I Love Lucy" theme with their costumes paying homage to classic episodes.

They have memories of their kids doing the same thing, of seeing them twirl about in the poodle skirts and slick back their hair and pull on '50s-style jeans and a white T-shirt. They love watching for former classmates driving in the parade — some in the same cars they had back then.

"A lot of things bring us back every year," Colleen Piatt said.

They love dressing up, hoping to spark a sense of community and encourage others to adopt the same spirit of fun.

"It's about community, and that's what keeps us coming every year," Snow said. "The fact that you see all of your friends. You pick a spot and stand at the same spot every year and you get talk to the people around you. You get to know them and you get to see their kids grow up."

The fun continues Saturday, May 17 with the classic car show which fills the downtown streets with hundreds of classic cars, giving everyone a chance to get a close-up view of rides of everything from the 1930s and '40s to muscle cars from the 1960s and '70s.

Cars start getting parked at 7 a.m. with the downtown open to classic car fans at 9:30 a.m. for a day-long celebration of great cars, great music and plenty of fun. Awards are announced at about 3:45 p.m.

However, don't think that that is the end of the fun as the second of two great concerts again turns the fairgrounds into the biggest party in town as Peter Noone, lead singer of Herman's Hermits, takes the stage. From "Little Boy Sad," "Listen People" and "Wonderful World" to "There's a Kind of Hush All Over The World," "I'm Into Something Good" and "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," the band's music formed a soundtrack of the 1960s for many.

New this year is the "checkered flag" program, which offers a discount at local businesses supporting Lost in the '50s. Among those taking part are Baxters, Connies Cafe, 113 Main, The Bank, Hydra Steakhouse and Evans Brothers Coffee. The purchase of the card includes 10 punches offering 10% off your bill for two people at the listed locations.

Information: lostinthe50s.com

Young classic car fans show their appreciation of the classic cars passing by their First Avenue location during the annual Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

Young classic car participants use an umbrella to keep them dry as they take part in the annual Lost in the '50s classic car cruise on Friday.

Dale Coffelt, selected as the "Spirit of the '50s" parade marshal, smiles as he's driving down the parade route during Friday's Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

Annette Borges and Nathan Shapiro stay warm under a thick blanket and dry under a big umbrella as they wait for the start of the classic car cruise as Lost in the '50s fun kicked off on Friday.

Scenes from the 2025 Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

Dennis Gage, host of "My Classic Car" says hello during the in the '50s classic car cruise on Friday.

Scenes from the 2025 Lost in the '50s classic car cruise.

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Annual car cruise creates fabulous '50s fun

CAROLINE LOBSINGER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 2 weeks AGO

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