New sponsors spark Lakewood Ranch car show on Main

Lance Hubschmitt, whose Cruzin' to the Hop Car Show has been a fixture on Lakewood Main Street for more than seven years, doesn't talk about engines and exhaust systems when it comes to his show's value to Lakewood Ranch.

He talks about food.

"Lakewood Main Street is a couples kind of thing," Hubschmitt said. "When they come here, they say, 'Let's go out to the show, and do dinner, too.'

"We have introduced that street to a lot of people who never had been here before."

With some broiling hot summer weather, and the constant threat of rain, Cruzin' to the Hop had disappeared from Lakewood Main Street in June, July and August.

Some people wondered if the show would ever return, and they voiced their displeasure.

"What we noticed is when they took off for the summer, we heard about it," said Keith Pandeloglou, the director of Lakewood Ranch Community Activiites, which maintains its office on Lakewood Main. "People were actually miffed."

At the time, Lakewood Main Street had been presenting the car show, and Lakewood Ranch Community Activities was more of an interested bystander.

That all has changed.

Pandeloglou said the two organizations looked at all their projects. "We wanted to take some things off their plate," he said.

On Sept. 6, Cruzin' to the Hop returns from 5 to 9 p.m. on Lakewood Main, now sponsored by Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. Other major sponsors who made it possible for the show to return are Ed's Tavern and Main Street Trattoria. The show will continue the first Wednesday of each month.

Hubschmitt was not worried about the brief break in the schedule during the summer.

"Summer always is tough," he said. "You either have rain or the threat of rain. The show hinges on the weather."

He said the change in sponsorship doesn't affect him.

"I know the people love (the show) out there."

Pandeloglou said Lakewood Ranch Community Activities did its due diligence is taking a look at other car shows. In the end, Hubschmitt's show was the best fit.

"Lance has a good reputation and he has been doing it for years," Pandeloglou said.

He also interviewed the owners of Lakewood Main restaurants and found they had a spike in sales during the show.

After confirming Cruizin' to the Hop was generating restaurant sales, Pandeloglou had to find sponsors to make the show economically feasible for Lakewood Ranch Community Activities. Ed's Tavern and Main Street Trattoria stepped forward.

"We couldn't do it without them," Pandeloglou said.

Lakewood Ranch Community Activities will begin tracking the number of visitors in September. He said the show would average between 90 and 100 cars in good weather in the past.