LONG BEACH, Miss. (WXXV) \u2014 Vintage cars, hot rods and plenty of throws in Long Beach, as thousands gathered for the city\u2019s Cruisin\u2019 the Coast parade on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll tell you, this is right up there with Mardi Gras,\u201d said Karl Hager, a Long Beach resident and Cruisin\u2019 participant.<\/p>\n
As the week kicks off with events across the coast, large crowds gathered in Long beach for this year\u2019s parade, getting a close-up look at unique vintage cars you wouldn\u2019t find anywhere else. But, for many attendees, the cars are only part of the attraction. They say their favorite part of the event is the sense of community that comes along with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just kinda like a culture. All the people are friendly. You\u2019re sitting there looking at cars and guys drive by and ask you about your car. You tell them your story, they tell you their story,\u201d said Hager.<\/p>\n
One Floridian says this year marks his fourth year attending Cruisin\u2019, and he agrees \u2014 it\u2019s the people that keep bringing him back year after year.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year I met a friend down here. She introduced me to their family. She says \u2018Oh no, you\u2019re not staying in a hotel next year. You can stay with me.\u2019 Last night I got to meet all of her family, and they were a blast,\u201d said Michael Hester, visiting from Cape Coral, Florida. \u201cBut you talk about some nice people\u2026 I\u2019m from Kentucky. I used to brag about how nice people from Kentucky were. They\u2019ve got them beat. Down here they\u2019re some of the nicest folks I\u2019ve ever met in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with the drivers, each of these amazing cars has a story. For one nine-year-old girl, her car is filled with memories of her grandpa. She attended every Cruisin\u2019 by his side until his passing in 2022.<\/p>\n
Now, the car belongs to her. Her grandfather left it to her when he passed, and she plans to carry on the tradition \u2014 keeping his memory alive and returning to Cruisin\u2019 for years to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels really good to keep this car in the family and not let it go to waste, because if I let this car go to waste it would be heartbreaking, because my paw paw gave me this car, and I really, really miss him,\u201d said Shana Anderson.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of vintage cars came through downtown Long Beach \u2014 just one of many events bringing together people from across the country for a week of Cruisin\u2019 fun.<\/p>\n