Plunkett's 2014 Fleetwood Cruzin'

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Good news in the London Free Press about one of North America' largest annual car shows.....Reports of the Fleetwood Country Cruize-in’s death are greatly exaggerated.The iconic local auto show, held on the 105-acre estate of philanthropist Steve Plunkett near Kilworth, will have its 10th anniversary June 7 to 8, despite rumours last summer it had been cancelled.Plunkett confirms he’d pulled the plug on the Cruize-in after last year’s edition.“I had totally cancelled it. I wasn’t going to do it anymore,” he said, saying supporters and participants convinced him to try it again at least one more time, albeit with a modified format.The show was known just as much for its display of cars as for the evening entertainment, in the past including such nostalgia acts as crooner Bobby Vinton, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and Frankie Avalon.Plunkett says he was running a deficit to bring acts to the tent on his estate. The only time he was pushed into the black was in 2011, when the Beach Boys played.“The evening shows just cost me so much money,” he said. “It’s very, very costly to put that show on in a temporary venue.”Plunkett is limiting this year’s show to daytime events only, with no bands at night. “I’ve been talked into trying it without the evening entertainment.”Plunkett says he may try staging the concert portion in alternating years. He’s also trying to bring in a corporate sponsor to help support future concerts.The theme for this year’s Cruize-in is celebrating the Mustang, the iconic American muscle car that recently turned 50.“Ford of Canada has now stepped in,” Plunkett said.This year will also see the total raised for charity rise above the $1-million mark. Proceeds from the show go to support charities such as the Komoka Optimists, Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital and the London Regional Cancer Centre.