Cruisin’ to The Pit Stop

ANNAPOLIS - The Pit Stop, a convenience store, gasoline station and eatery at the crossroads of state Route 646 and county Road 39, at the Jefferson-Harrison county line, has become an attraction for gearheads during the past several months with a successful Cruise-In Night every Tuesday evening.

The events began being held every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting, on April 21, including a 50-50 drawing, door prizes and a discjockey playing '50s and '60s period music.

Tina Sweat, who owns The Pit Stop along with her husband Mike, said it's not a typical car show.

"It's a weekly cruise-in that is more of a social event with no competition involved," she said. "This changes the atmosphere from spit-polishing your car to just enjoying yourself with old and new friends as soon as you arrive."

Sweat said all kinds of cars are welcome, no matter the condition of the car. The cruise-in nights have attracted muscle cars, hot rods, rat rods, dragsters, dune buggies and more, with an average of 60 to 70 cars every Tuesday evening stopping in. She said the high point included 97 cars and 13 motorcycles one evening.

"Our diehards coming in every week are numbering 30 to 40, so that means we're getting 30 to 40 new cars every week," she said.

Cars from around the local area have shown up for the cruise-ins, including local rodders from Unionport, East Springfield, Hopedale, Bloomingdale, Amsterdam, Bergholz and Germano.

"New friends are being made from Weirton, Carrollton, Rayland, Boardman, Cadiz, Dillonvale, Hollway, Canton and Burgettstown," she said.

The cars are attracting spectators to The Pit Stop, too, averaging about 45 to 55 spectator cars weekly.

The events are also a business boon to The Pit Stop, which sells food from its extensive menu to the hungry visitors, everything from steakburgers and Philly cheese sandwiches to Inferno wings, waffle fries and Bellarico's Pizza, as well as Hershey Ice Cream for dessert.

"We are already making plans and decisions for next year," she said. "There will be some new things added for Tuesday Night that will make the evening a little more exciting, but the big plan will be to put Wednesday on the Calendar for Bike night."

Events will continue on Tuesday evening for a few more weeks into the fall season with the Tuesday night cruise-ins to pick up again in the spring.

(Giannamore's e-mail address is pgiannamore@heraldstaronline.com.)