Every Thursday summer evening for over 30 years, the Tilt’n Diner becomes the backdrop for Classic Car Cruise Night. Antique cars occupy parking spaces in front of the restaurant from 5 to 7 p.m., as diners and car enthusiasts walk through the lot, viewing the vehicles. Organizer Stephanie Merkley said while the emphasis is on classic cars, anyone can participate for free, thanks to the sponsorship of Benson Auto in Franklin.

“If you're able to drive it here and you're proud of it, that's what we want to see,” Merkley said. “We don't judge.”

There were 25 cars and one motorcycle on display last week, but the event can draw anywhere between 35 and 45 vehicles. Cars, trucks and motorcycles are common, and Merkley said a participant once brought a tank. But generally, the event is casual, with many participants sitting together chatting up a storm in their camping chairs. Shannen Durphey of Northfield, brought a light blue 1957 Chevrolet 3250 truck. Durphey has been coming to the cruise night since he moved to the area in 2005. While not a regular attendee, he likes stopping in every once in a while since it's close to where he lives. Durphey talked about why he loves antique cars.

“It's always kind of like opening a treasure chest if you meet somebody else that has a car,” he said. “You get to hear their story and you get to learn what they have for parts and usually introduce you to somebody else or mention somebody else that they know.”

Daryl Woods, of Laconia, has also been coming to the car show for over 20 years. On Thursday, he brought a 2001 Plymouth Prowler in orange pearl, of which only 695 were made. Woods said the events are very casual, and mostly comes for the camaraderie and conversation.

“It’s an opportunity to meet your friends, chew the fat and solve world problems,” he said.

There are also raffle tickets, including a 50-50 raffle. Merkley also hands out vouchers for participants to use for 10% off a meal at the diner, as well as a free drink. Tilt’n Diner manager David Benard spoke to the impact cruise night has on the diner.

“It brings in a lot of extra business that we don't usually see. Mostly guests that come in for the cruise we only see on these Thursday nights during the summer,” Benard said. “And they get their food and they usually go right back outside and they have their own little chairs and eat their food while they're watching the cars.”

Cruise nights were started by Merkley’s father Walter Krauz Jr., but since he died almost three years ago at the age of 70 from multiple system atrophy, Merkley has taken on the sole responsibility of running cruise night. Each week, Merkley said, the event honors her father. Merkley also honors her father by driving a 1979 Chevrolet Corvette, which used to be his. Merkley feels sentimental about the car, which the two of them picked out together.

“He bought this car when I was about 9 years old,” she said. “He actually had a trailer and he felt funny about having a Corvette and living in a trailer. It's just how he is.”

The license plate reads “MICEE,” Merkley's father’s nickname in high school. Merkley said the plate used to be a regular antique plate, but she wanted to change that. She asked him before he died how he would feel about the change.

“I asked him before he passed, I said, 'Dad, can I put MICEE on the license plate?’ He said, ‘If you want to waste the $60, go ahead.'”

Merkley said the Corvette is important to her, not because of its monetary value, but because it is a tangible memory of her dad. She thinks of Classic Car Cruise Night in a similar way. As long as the car night continues, so will her father’s memory.

“I will do this until I can't anymore,” Merkley said. “It's pretty special to me.”