The Kernersville Board of Aldermen on Wednesday unanimously approved closures for the annual downtown classic car cruise-in series, setting up the event’s 16th season even as some merchants urged officials to consider changes.

***Don’t miss any Scope News coverage*** 

Click here to sign up for our free weekly newsletter today!

The vote came during a well-attended meeting in which supporters of the Old Salem Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America filled Town Hall’s council chambers. Nearly the entire crowd raised their hands when club representative Crystal Tanner asked who was present in support of the event, and most attendees exited the meeting after that agenda item had been resolved.

Under the approved plan, Main Street will close from Railroad Street to Harmon Street at 3:00 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month from June to October, with the event running from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Street will remain open.

Tanner framed the cruise-in as a longstanding downtown attraction.

“This is another event that has the potential to draw people to Kernersville who don’t know what we can offer,” she said, noting that the club has donated more than $17,000 to charitable causes in recent years. 

Tanner acknowledged concerns raised in a petition signed by a group of downtown merchants, notably complaints about attendees arriving early. She said organizers have repeatedly asked participants not to park before 3:00 p.m., using social media, flyers, and other public announcements to spread the word. 

Pushing back on suggestions to relocate the event to the adjacent Farmers Market area or switch to Sundays, she said the club feels “strongly that the cruise-in is a Main Street event” and the on-site music would not be appropriate on Sundays in such close proximity to downtown churches.

No petition supporters addressed the board, but downtown business owner Brook Cashion later spoke to Scope News about the effort, stressing that it was intended to be a compromise, not a statement of opposition to the cruise-in.

“We were trying to make some additional suggestions about shutting down the road and the placement of the cars,” said the Busy as a Bee owner. “No one’s ever been against it.” 

Cashion said some businesses have reported that customers struggle to access storefronts during the event and “camp out in front of their doors with their chairs and their coolers.”

She noted that the club’s on-site food and drink fundraisers can also compete with the sales of permanent downtown vendors. 

In her remarks to the board, Tanner argued that the cruise-in brings hundreds of visitors to the downtown area and creates longer-term economic benefits.

Our coverage of the July 2025 cruise-in event shows much of the area impacted by the road closure:

Send news tips, letters to the editor, or hot takes to editor@scopenewsonline.com! 

Copyright 2026 Informed Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without express written consent.