Classic cars roll back into Uptown Park Ridge when the Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce kicks off its annual Cruisin' Park Ridge series Friday, Aug. 7, in the Park Ridge Public Library parking lot.

The free show runs 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month through October. The remaining dates are Sept. 4 and Oct. 2. All three shows take place rain or shine, with no rescheduling for bad weather, according to the Chamber's events calendar.

The series has been a fixture in Uptown since 2014, growing out of the old "First Fridays" arts and entertainment events that used to take place in the district. The first "Cruisin' Park Ridge"-themed First Friday, on July 6, 2012, featured around 200 hot rods, muscle cars, custom cars, classics and even an electric vehicle, Journal & Topics reported. The event returned twice in 2013 and became a standalone fixture from 2014 onward, running every year since except 2020, when it was canceled due to COVID-19.

Among the regulars is Tee Venturini of Chicago's Norwood Park neighborhood, known for showing his 1957 Buick 75R Roadmaster alongside a "Holy Cow" cutout of the late Cubs announcer Harry Caray.

The car show is one of several Chamber-sponsored events aimed at drawing foot traffic to Uptown businesses this fall. The Chamber's calendar also lists Market After Dark: Summer-ween on Saturday, Aug. 22, and Harvest-fest on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Car enthusiasts who can't wait for Fridays have another option nearby: the Niles Monday Night Car Show at Golf Mill Shopping Center, 239 Golf Mill Center.

The Aug. 7 show starts at 6 p.m. at 20 S. Prospect Ave. No registration is required.