The 2019 Cleveland auto Show offer fun activities for the entire family
Most of you will enter in the West entrance. If you have the time and the energy I wish to point out two exhibits at the 2019 Cleveland Auto Show that are well worth seeking out. They are the Architectural Justice display and the Western Reserve Historical Society (Crawford Auto Museum). They are tucked sort of out of the way in the far northeast corner of the I-X Center right next to each other. Don’t try to find them on the program map, just locate the compass point in the upper right corner of the map and saunter left to around where the Nissan Ride and Drive booth would normallybe. Both are well worth the effort to seek out.
Architectural Justice uses an in-house “artisan approach” to home remodeling and will do jobs ranging from $300 to $1 million. The short self guided tour will take you through “the ultimate man’s cave” through a wine nook and into an amazing kitchen and dining room until you end up in a luxurious bedroom, bath and office. It is truly breathtaking.
Next to the Architectural Justice display is the Western Reserve Historical Society with two vintage cars from the Crawford Auto Museum that have been completely restored. Stop by and say hello to those minding the table and sign up for their raffle.
Seven of the eight drive and ride booths are open for business (Nissan is only active during the weekend). You can test drive anything from the sporty Mazda Miata to the more practical Subaru Outback or check out the deep grumbling sound of the Dodge cars. Get there early before the lines form and you can get a chance to drive a bunch of different models.
As in past years most of the booths offer little premiums for test driving their cars. Toyota gives you a small zippered pouch with ear buds and some kind of smart phone gizmo. The Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Jeep booth rewards you with an insulated lunch bag that my wife and I found extremely handy when traveling through Great Britain, France and Iceland this past year. Kia has a $10 Amazon Card and Mazda offers a $10 Starbucks card while Volkswagen gives you a nice zippered string pack to put all your loot and brochures in that you pick up throughout the show.
For a wild ride, check out the Camp Jeep and Ram Track that shows off the versatility of their various off road type vehicles. Parts of the ride are simply amazing. You will find yourself being driven up and down stairs, cantered at crazy angles, through impossibly narrow tunnels, and over all manner of bumps and steep “hills”. Ram gives you a T-shirt while Jeep offers a sturdy carry bag at the end of the ride.
There is a lot of scheduled events that will be held throughout the show including:
Tuesday, February 26th: Cavaliers rookie point guard Collin Sexton will be available to sign autographs at the GMC display from 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, February 27th: For race fans, Kaulig Racing will have owner Matt Kaulig along along with Fox 8 News Anchor Stefani Schaefer as well as 4-time heavy weight champ Stipe Miocic and 2018 Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon from 6 to 8 p.m. in the main concourse.
Thursday, February 28th: Has the Cleveland Auto Show honoring America’s service personnel, veterans and first responders with free admission during Northern Ohio Heroes Day. The free admission offer is limited to individuals with valid identification with no geographic limitations but does not include spouses, children or friends. No matter where or when you served or where you currently reside your entrance fee is free. For more information go to www.clevelandautoshow.com/heroes. From 7 to 8 p.m. Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl alumni linebacker joe Schobert and OL Joel Bitonio will be available to sign autographs in the Honda display.
Friday, March 1st: Cavaliers point guard Matthew Dellavedova will be available to sign autographs from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Kia display.
Saturday, March 2nd: The 2oth Annual Classic Car Show Awards for “Best of Show” and “Peoples Choice” will be awarded at 2 p.m. Vote for your favorite by going to the Cleveland Auto Show’s Facebook page. The RAM display will host the 92.3 “The Fan’s Street Team” with on-air personality Ken Carman from 3 to 5 p.m. with Cleveland Brownsw linebacker Joe Schobert joining the event from 3 to 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 3rd: The Official Vehicle Giveaway will take place at 5 p.m. where two lucky winners will get a free 36-month lease on either a 2019 honda Accord Sport or a 2019 Honda Ridgeline RT., the official vehicles of the Cleveland Auto Show. Show attendees can register for the drawing at the Official Vehicle Giveaway Booth located near the West Entrance of the I-X Center. Each day of the show, one finalist will be chosen and invited back on Sunday, March 3. Out of the ten finalists invited back, two Grand Prize winners will be selected. So, if you are selected as a finalist, your odds of winning are one in five this year!
Some cool stuff to look out for during the show are the Delorean “Time Machine” from the hit movie “Back To The Future”, Scooby Doo’s “Mystery Machine”, Mutt Cutts “Shaggin Wagon” from the film “Dumb and Dumber”, the 1970 off-road Charger from the movie “Fast and Furious 7”, Optimus Prime from the Transformer Movie “The Last Knight” and the Lego Chevy Silverado inspired by “The Lego Movie 2”.
Millionaire’s Row, presented by Bernie Moreno Companies is back with a huge array of dream cars including Mercedes-AMG GT R, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Aston Martin Vulcan, Aston Martin DB11, Aston Martin Vanquish, Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Rolls-Royce Dawn, Maserati Levante GTS, Maserati GTC, and Lotus Evora. (Subject to change).
The South Hall of the I-X Center will once again be home to the Classic Car Show throughout the run of the show with local car enthusiasts showing off their pride and joys that came out of the factories 25 years ago or more.
The Cleveland Auto Show Show hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $14 for adults and $12 for preteens and seniors. Children six and under get in free. Parking at the Cleveland Auto Show is always free courtesy of your franchised new motor vehicle dealers. Tickets are available online right now with no convenience fee at www.clevelandautoshow.com.