By TRICIA NEAL, CJ Staff Writer
Commonwealth Journal
Somerset —
For those who love sunshine and warm weather, Somernites Cruise was the place to be yesterday. With temperatures hovering around the 100 degree mark and plenty of humidity, close to 1,000 cars and their proud owners ventured to the streets of downtown Somerset to participate in the fourth cruise-in of Somernites’ tenth season, the highlight of which was the Holley Performance-sponsored Power Cruise. The Somernites Power Cruise draws cars to Somerset from Bowling Green and Louisville, Ky., Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn., and Cincinnati, Ohio. Show vehicles traveled down the highways, converging upon Somerset around noon yesterday. Somernites management team member Mark Hansford estimated that around 400 vehicles participated in the Power Cruise. This month’s event was filmed by V8-TV, the crew of which shot more than three hours of footage to create a promotional DVD which should be available to the public in about a month. Bland Allen, and his wife, Jacquelyn, brought their Pontiac Chieftian from Athens, Ala., as part of the Power Cruise. The car belonged to Bland’s late father, who served on the USS South Dakota during World War II. The elder Mr. Allen promised himself he would buy a Pontiac when he returned home after the war — since the guns on his battleship were made by Pontiac. In 1949, Mr. Allen purchased his Chieftian for $2,400 — in time to take his new wife, Bland’s mother, on a honeymoon. The elder Mr. Allen died in 1966, when Bland was just 11 years old. “I begged my mother not to sell his car,” Bland said. “I didn’t want to get rid of anything he ever owned.” The vehicle remained in storage for 37 years, becoming dilapidated and being scavenged for parts. But finally, about five years ago, Bland rescued his father’s beloved car and lovingly restored it. He and Jacquelyn now travel all over the southeastern United States to cruise-ins in his parents’ first car. “It’s something we can enjoy together,” he said.