09/06/2017
The end of the Wexford Starlite Car Cruise
Sad to say, last Friday was the final day for Starlite. It was a bitter/sweet night. The weather was perfect, the cars were packed in, and we had a chance to talk with many of you. Each of the cruise leaders had the lump in the throat feeling, knowing that this was the end. But we all appreciated all of the kind and thankful words that we heard.
All of our volunteers worked hard to make Starlite the nicest and best weekly car cruise. The food venders always had good food to enjoy. And the passion of DJ Denny was always a joy to listen to. And we can’t forget each of you who faithfully brought your cruise cars and motorcycles which were the backdrop of one of the best weekly community event in the greater Pittsburgh area.
On a final note, Pastor Jay Passavant had us hand out the following letter. For our cruisers and friends that couldn’t be there on that night, here is that letter. I hope his words are a blessing to you as it was to each of us.
Enjoy, and may God be with you.
CROSSING THE FINISH LINE
In case you have missed the verbal announcements, I’m writing this open letter to all of the participants and spectators of the Wexford Starlite Car Cruise.
First, we want you to know that this was not an easy decision, but the Car Cruise leadership team as well as our very dedicated church Elders, have agreed that this is the time that we must bring things to an end. It’s been becoming increasingly clear that a number of circumstances have led us to cross the finish line with a positive and thankful heart.
Therefore, we will make this evening a night of celebrating 18 amazing seasons of hosting car cruises (October 7, 2000 – September 1, 2017). By the way, some “grand finale” t-shirts are available near the DJ booth if you want a one-time remembrance of the past 18 seasons.
The Wexford Starlite Car Cruise began as a once a year event at the encouragement of my father, Jack Passavant, who always enjoyed the collectible car culture. In his final decade on this planet, he fully restored eleven different vehicles – from a LaFrance Fire Truck to a 1948 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible. (The yellow ’46 convertible I’ve driven to every Cruise was the last car he restored before his unexpected passing in the Spring of 1999).
We started cautiously. The first year we held the event one time on October 7, 2000, and the next year on the same date more or less. The level of interest convinced us that this could potentially become a weekly event that folks from the community all around us would support. In 2002, the Starlite Car Cruise became a weekly event, from the first weekend in May to the end of September. After a few years of that grueling schedule, we knew that we needed to trim down the number of weekends into the current format that we’ve had for the past twelve years or so.
People often ask me what has made this car cruise such a successful event. Here are just a few of the non-negotiable things that come to mind:
• We would seek to honor God in how this event was run every single week. (That has everything to do with the positive environment that so many of you comment on every week).
• We would welcome everyone with any car or vehicle that was in some way of “special interest”. That is why an older gentleman with a hand-made Duesenberg Cabriolet would gladly park right next to a brand new Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
• Families would always be welcome, not just “car guys”. To this day, I’m really blessed when I see a dad and mom walking with two or three of their younger children, enjoying a night out together while right beside them would be a group of five or six ‘bikers’ in their leathers, club colors and maybe even shaved heads!
We are often asked “how much money does the church make off this every year?” Let me be perfectly clear. The answer is zero! In our 18 years, we have never sold tickets to anyone in order to get in or accepted any kind of special donations for prime spots. All of the costs were covered by the North Way church family and eventually even those were picked by a handful of regular sponsors. The average donation on any given week from the Car Cruise participants was just $200. My thanks to anyone and everyone who helped to support the Cruise financially or as a Car Cruise volunteer.
We want to thank North Way Christian Community, our home church, for providing such an incredible space; keeping their doors open to allow folks to take a much needed break on Friday nights, and supporting the event financially through the tithes and offerings of the people who worship there. It’s just been the past five years when all of our revenue came from sponsors, vendors and some generous Car Cruise attenders.
We are deeply thankful for the respect, cooperation and carefulness shown by nearly every Cruiser and spectator so that in 18 seasons we never had any kind of serious injury which is quite astonishing when you consider the dynamics created when you have 1500 show cars and 7-10,000 individual participants (spectators) every Friday evening!
We celebrate the volunteer core of the Starlite. These folks are among the most dedicated, hardworking and fun men and women that I’ve had the privilege of serving with in my 40 years of public ministry. Long before anyone arrived (I mean 24 hours before!) and long after the last Cruiser left, these volunteers took care of business, covering an extensive list –from returning and replacing all of the equipment to doing their best to clean up the area just after thousands of people had gone home. Interestingly, along the way, many of these men and women became best of friends.
Roger and Brenda Van Scoy deserve special appreciation for their tireless and sacrificial leadership over the past seven years. I would like to name every single volunteer, but time and space do not permit me to do that. If you see one of these team members this evening, please pass on a word of thanks to them. We would have stopped years ago had these folks not made themselves available.
Many individuals helped in special ways, but the most regular voice that you heard week after week was that of DJ Denny Dutko who made this his “signature event” for almost every week of the past 18 seasons.
We also want to thank each and every one of you who came out with such consistency and helped out whenever and wherever you could. In the end, it was the word of mouth endorsements that caused so many thousands of people to show up here each and every week. This comment was one that I heard shared time and time again: “Dude, you just have to come out here and see this!”
Finally, though we never preached at a Car Cruise, I think many of you were getting a message in more subtle but very convincing ways. Something in every one of you was drawn to the positive and accepting environment that always was reflected when the event was held under the umbrella of the love of God as demonstrated in His son Jesus and incarnated by His Spirit in everyone who believes in Him.
I do pray that everyone reading this will come to recognize that all good things, even good people, come to an end. The only thing that lasts forever is relationship with God through His son Jesus:
“Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
Unlike our favorite cars, bikes or other vehicles, our lives do not get restored at the end. No, our only good option is a decision every one of us has to uniquely make while we are still alive and that is, what do I do with Jesus? If you are in any way unclear about your relationship with Him, then I invite you to attend any one of our services here or at our five other locations. Give it a try for one month and you’ll soon know what I’m trying to describe here. In the end, when we cross the finish line, we don’t get restoration, but what we can get in infinitely better… an eternal resurrection!
With sincere appreciation and a deep seated confidence in God’s willingness to supply, we say to every one of you: it’s been an amazing race. We have now crossed the finish line.
Blessings!
Dr. Jay Passavant
Founding Pastor
