Cruise Night Parades Debut In Tinley Park

TINLEY PARK, IL — The coronavirus pandemic and related social distancing restrictions in Illinois have prevented the Tinley Park Cruise Night events from taking shape in their traditional form this summer, so instead the village's marketing team is promoting a weekly "Cruise Night Parade" that will take a different route every Tuesday.

Traditionally, the cruise nights held in-person were on Tuesday nights during the summer along Oak Park Avenue between 171st and 173rd streets.

The first cruise night parade included 24 classic cars that made their way from the Tinley Park - Park District to Grissom Middle School along about a dozen streets both east and west of 80th Avenue, Village of Tinley Park Special Events Coordinator Vicki Sanchez said. A different route will be in place every Tuesday night until at least the end of June.

Tuesday night's parade went "very smoothly," Sanchez said. But plans for this event after June are still up in the air.

"At this point anything is possible," she said, when asked if the traditional cruise nights along Oak Park could return later this summer.

"We are attempting to stay within state guidelines and keep events as safe as possible so anyone can take part and feel comfortable in doing so."

"So if your neighborhood isn't on the June 16 map, it's likely covered in a future route," the village wrote on its website.

Sanchez said the parade could grow from the 24 cars that took part on its opening night.

"We were trying to start small, and then we'll see how many we can safely manage."

Classic car owners who would like to be included in a future Tuesday night parade should email their name and car's make, model and color to mktg@tinleypark.org with the subject line "Cruise Night Parade." Approved participants will receive an email confirmation that must be displayed upon arrival in order to participate in the parade, the village said. Cars must be preregistered and confirmed via an email in order to be included.

Sanchez said there are already about 50 on the waiting list, and that cars will be approved in the order in which they are preregistered.

The plans for a cruise night parade in place of the traditional, in-person event were met with some unhappy folks on the Downtown Tinley Facebook page when the parades were first announced earlier this month, though.

"There is absolutely no reason to not have the regular car night, just use social distancing," one man said. "This is pointless and a waste of the downtown."

"Waste of gas, can't even talk to anyone that brings their cars out," another man said. "Used to benefit everyone. "

"Not the same," one woman agreed.

But one woman did say it is an "awesome idea until we can have the regular cruise nights."

And Sanchez said she heard from one senior citizen who said he had never been able to walk along Oak Park to view the cars in the traditional format, but was grateful to be able to "just walk out of his garage and see the cars."

"Since they can't come to us in a safe manner, in the usual format - we figured that how about we come to your doorstep," Sanchez said.