Ishpeming buzzing for classic cars

The city of Ishpeming will be experiencing a bit of a blast from the past this weekend with the Buzz the Gut Car Show set to roll through town.

The idea for the event was inspired by a past-time practice used in the ’50s and ’60s when guys would take their ride down Main Street for all the girls in town to see.

“‘Buzz the Gut’ has been a term for cruising downtown Ishpeming, maybe Negaunee, but it was just something we did back in our day in high school. It all came about, one day, when I bought my ’69 Roadrunner. Terry Surrell had a Street Rod and Paul Maki had a Ford Galaxy. We were at the mine one day, right after I bought that Roadrunner, and I asked those two ‘What do you say we get together and go ‘Buzz the Gut’ like the old days?’ From then on it started to turn into a car show. The first time out there we had maybe 40 or 50 cars, and it just snowballed from there,” explained Scott Perry, one of the founders of the event.

The vintage auto exhibition is now in its 12th year and has been averaging about 250 cars per run. They’ve already registered well over 200 cars featuring a variety of styles, but Perry hopes more auto buffs sign up no matter what they drive. From new motorcycles to old dune buggies, there’s a little something for everyone.

“You can expect to see anything, but usually the old classic muscle cars are the nice ones. You’ve got Street Rods and brand new cars too. You’ve got the new Challenger, the new Chevy Camaro. So, there’s a variety.” Perry added.

Spectators can mingle with fellow car lovers and ask questions about their classic rides at the cliff shaft mining museum’s show and shine from 5 to 7 on Saturday night. Then the fleet will cruise through downtown Ispheming and Negaunee all the way back to the Elks Lodge.

Buzz the Gut is a non-profit organization and receives most of its funding through t-shirt sales. If you’d like to support the cause or sign up your set of wheels, head to their website www.buzzthegut.com.