LE MARS, Iowa (AP) - Tired of the new reality of life during the coronavirus pandemic, Le Mars residents have gone back to an old way of socializing.
A popular pastime of previous generations, “Cruising the Loop,” or driving up and down Central Avenue through downtown, has returned. For three weeks now, Le Mars residents young and old have gotten in their vehicles at 4 p.m. on Sunday and socialized safely from their vehicles.
Windows down, drivers and passengers honk, wave, smile and shout out as they continually pass by one another while making the eight-block loop on Central Avenue. And they’re able to do so from a safe distance, well more than the 6 feet apart that health officials say is the minimal distance we should keep in order to avoid spreading the coronavirus to one another.
“It’s a way of socializing but playing by the rules. You’re still getting out, but you’re seeing people,” said Mark Wiltgen, whose Facebook post more than three weeks ago suggesting a cruise day got the wheels turning on what’s turning into a weekly event.
Self-isolating at home after returning from a work-related trip to New York, Wiltgen was tired of being cooped up and not seeing anyone. After viewing a Facebook post about folks in Tea, South Dakota, cruising town as a way to get out and see people while avoiding close contact, he had an idea.
“As soon as I saw that, I thought we’ve got to do it definitely,” he told the Sioux City Journal.
So on March 21, Wiltgen posted on his Facebook page: “Tomorrow afternoon let (sic) cruise the loop in Le Mars like we did as kids … let’s start at 4 p.m.”
Not knowing what to expect, Wiltgen hit Central Avenue about five minutes before 4 o’clock and saw nearly empty streets. Within 10-15 minutes, traffic was bumper to bumper. He estimates that more than 100 people showed up and cruised for an hour or so.
“Everybody on that whole loop was just smiles,” he said.
Without any prompting, the cruise has been repeated the past two Sundays, drawing drivers young and old in restored classic hot rods, rusty pickups, new SUVs, minivans, motorcycles and mopeds. The vehicles may be different, but the one thing they have in common is that nearly every driver and passenger is smiling, a nice thing to see during a time when so much of the news has been grim.
For Wiltgen, a 1994 Gehlen Catholic High School graduate, it hearkens back to days gone by when cruising the loop on Friday and Saturday nights was common. Long before anyone had ever heard the term social distancing, high school kids found the quickest way to get in touch with friends and make plans for the night was from behind the steering wheel.
“That was your social network back then,” Wiltgen said.
The cruising tradition gradually cooled off, but in the past three weeks, Wiltgen said he’s seen the younger generation enthusiastically taking it up. Teenagers are a common sight during the Sunday cruises, and Wiltgen said three of his kids, ages 18, 19 and 22, piled into the same car that first Sunday to take part.
“They were having a ball, too,” he said.
It’s been so much fun, Wiltgen said, he hopes some form of cruising the loop remains after the coronavirus threat has passed. Perhaps it could be a new Sunday tradition, or maybe it returns as a Saturday night staple complete with live bands playing downtown or some other type of entertainment to draw people together.
Not knowing how long social distancing recommendations will remain in place, future plans must remain in the future.
For the time being, getting in the car and waving at friends from a safe distance will have to do.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.