madison street cruise in muncie indiana

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Troy Watters Brings ‘Cruising South Madison Street’ Back To Muncie

September 26, 2018

By: Mike Rhodes—

Muncie, Indiana—It’s 2018 and cruising South Madison Street is a thing! (Again.)

Once popular decades ago, cruising South Madison Street pretty much went by the wayside. But two months ago, Troy Watters kicked off his  Cruising South Madison Street event and the 3rd Saturday of the month suddenly became an instant “must-go-to” calendar entry.

Watters is a life-long resident of Muncie and has worked for the Muncie Sanitary District for the last four years. A warm, affable man, Watters also has a kind heart.

“My main goal with this was to create a family friendly event…to give everyone a fun thing to do, and help some businesses on the southside of Muncie.”— Troy Watters

“I used to cruise Madison Street all the time when I was younger,” he said. “I’ve been to Somerset Kentucky ( population  11,196 according to the 2010 census) on weekends where they put on the Somernites Cruise during the summer. I thought it would be cool if we could do the same kind of thing in Muncie once a month.”

Troy Watters and son Nick Watters are pictured by their favorite Jeep and ’79 GMC High Sierra Square Body truck. The sign they are holding appears by South Madison Street businesses who encourage participants to pull into their parking lots during the cruise. Signs were prepared by Skip Smith, 1 Stop Signs. Photo by: Mike Rhodes

Watters approached Mayor Dennis Tyler with his event idea, who thought it would be cool, too. Next stop for Watters was to present the Cruising South Madison Street idea to the Muncie Board of Public Works meeting on August 8, 2018.  The board considered the event and after discussion, approved it on the spot. Prior to presenting to the Board of Public Works, Watters took a day off from work and met with a variety of South Madison Street restaurants and businesses about the cruise, to make sure they knew about it and would support it. He found businesses were enthusiastic about the idea. Watters presented the information he had gathered from businesses to the board as well.  The first Cruising South Madison Street event took place 10 days after the board approved it.

What’s this? A parade?

Debbe Caine and her boyfriend, Brent Flynn are classic car lovers. “We’ve always had old cars, so we love to attend events like the South Madison Cruise,” she said. “Brent drag races, so he has cars to race with, but I never get to ride with him. When we found out about the Cruising South Madison Street event , we decided to go together.  We actually came across the event by accident one night when we were driving home. We noticed there were people sitting in lawn chairs by the street and old cars were everywhere. We thought maybe there was some sort of parade and we accidently got in the middle of it! We’ve been to both events and they were very well attended. We loved it!”

Debbe and Brent purchased a ’76 Pontiac Trans Am about a year ago and Brent has been restoring it. The car now has a new engine, interior, exhaust, wheels and more. They hope to finish it any day now, and drive it in the next Cruising South Madison Street  event scheduled for October 20, 2018.

Debbe Caine is pictured with her classic ’76 Pontiac Trans Am she and Brent Flynn are restoring. Photo courtesy of Debbe Caine. 

Shareen and Matt Wagley attended the September 15th cruise after hearing about it through social media. “It happened to be my 50th birthday, so we drove out in our ’81 Volkswagen convertible,” Shareen said.

“We went and had an absolute blast. We were blown away with all the cars and the number of people watching. The last time I cruised Madison Street was when I was 16 years old. In the same car. With the same guy.” —Shareen Wagley

The Wagley’s Volkswagen still has a workable cassette player in the dash, so AC/DC was naturally pumping out on the car stereo speakers.

Shareen and Matt Wagley with their vintage Volkswagen convertible. Photo courtesy of Sharon Wagley

Watters says he’s found out people have unexpectedly come from all over the country to attend the cruise. “For our first cruise, we had a married couple who had attended Southside HS and they drove all the way here from Maryland,” he said. “We had people from Springfield, OH; Angola, IN; Peru, IN; Nashville, TN; Bowling Green, KY and more.  I think we’re bringing people back to Muncie who used to live here, but have moved out of state. We think we had close to 1,000 people for our September cruise.”

The next Cruising South Madison Street event will take place on October 20, 2018 from 6pm to 10pm. You don’t have to have a classic car, or even a fancy one. Just come out and enjoy the ride and the view.

You can find more information about the Cruising South Madison Street events by following their Facebook group site. (Link below.)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1921470921485125/

Scenes from the September 15th “South Madison Street Cruise. Photos by: Tracy Denny

Muncie's 'Cruising Madison Street' to rev up this month

MUNCIE, Ind. — If there's one thing to signify spring, it's the seasonal return of south side Muncie's "Cruising Madison Street" event.

The first cruise of 2019 will take place 6-10 p.m. April 20, giving those from Muncie and beyond a chance to drive their custom, classic, hot rod and muscle cars along the south side of town. The event runs the third Saturday of each month from April to November.

The route will be the same as the one from last fall, starting at the Southway Plaza parking lot, continuing north along Madison Street, then west along Adams Street, south on Jefferson Street, east on Charles Street and returning to Madison to go south.

► RELATED:    'Cruising Madison Street' is an evening of nostalgia for Muncie residents and beyond

Troy Watters, who organized the event's return, said the four cruises last fall "turned out really great," bringing in people from other parts of the country such as Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Maryland. 

"Cruising Madison Street" is a form of nostalgia for those who remember cruising in the 1980s and '90s. During that time, the cruises sparked concern among some residents, who complained of noise, trash and the traffic. They were eventually shut down.

The re-established cruising event does have a few rules: no loitering at businesses that don't specifically mark that cruisers are welcome, don't gather at non-approved areas and no cruising after 10 p.m. Also, the roads will be patrolled to prevent vandalism, reckless driving and violence.

The April cruise will include a remembrance of cruisers who have died. The memorial will take place at 5 p.m. at Southway Plaza. 

For more information, email Watters at [email protected] or join his  Cruising South Madison Street  public Facebook group.

►ROAD WORK:  Two major city street projects in the works

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'Cruising' continues down Madison Street despite pandemic

MUNCIE, Ind. (NewsLink) -- If it is not the weather, the pandemic may be cancelling plans. Luckily for the 'Cruising South Madison Street' event, neither has caused it to be cancelled.

"We've had, I think, bigger crowds because everyone was stuck at home and this gives them a chance to get out," Event Organizer Troy Watters said.

Watters started the cruise in 2018 because of the love he has for "cruising.” The love even became a family trait.

"It's kind of cool growing up and hearing him talk about cruisin' back in the day and stuff like that, and all the old cars and hot rods," Watters' son, Nick, said.

This Saturday will be a little different for Troy.

"I normally cruise in a Jeep Wrangler," Watters said.

Instead, Watters can be spotted in a 1964 Mercury Marauder, along with a skeleton named Fred. The Watters family said the cruise is for everyone, no matter the age.

"I know a lot of people in the car community around here look forward to it."

The family said the best part is being able to watch everyone enjoy themselves too. The cruise starts at 6 p.m. near the Dairy Queen on South Madison Street.

The event is free to attend and there will be one more cruise on Nov. 21.

For any comments or concerns, contact the author at [email protected].

Spring donation drive, men’s volleyball miva semifinals - lindenwood, brotherhood under the floodlights, ball state director of athletics wraps first year, late nite preparing for annual carnival, tranquil weather to round out the week before active pattern sets up.

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If you would like your car show added to our list, email us at: [email protected], cammack station cruise in friday night, cans for cars, james dean spring run, blast from the past modoc car show.

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The #1 Mexican restaurant in Muncie, based on Yelp reviews—plus, see the rest of the top 12

Posted: June 25, 2024 | Last updated: June 25, 2024

Highest-rated Mexican restaurants in Muncie by diners

Just like cuisine from any country, Mexican food is not monolithic. It isn't just combo plates and tacos. (Not that there's anything wrong with that style of food; it's delicious and is responsible for popularizing Mexican food in the United States.) But Mexican food means more than that.

It reflects Mexico's diverse population—shaped by waves of immigration—and has proliferated throughout the U.S., showcasing the cuisine in all its complexity and regionality. Mexico has 32 distinct regional styles of cooking, and thanks to immigrant chefs and the rise of promising culinarians of Mexican descent looking to share their signature dishes, Indigenous foodways, and ingredients from various regions, diners are reframing their idea of "Mexican food."

According to a Pew Research Center analysis of SafeGraph data, 1 in 10 restaurants in the U.S. serve Mexican food , and nearly 9 out of 10 U.S. counties have at least one Mexican restaurant. The analysis also reveals that California and Texas are home to a majority of the Mexican American population and together host 2 out of 5 Mexican restaurants in the country.

These findings serve as a testament to the influence Mexican cuisine has had and continues to have in America. Which begs the question: Where does one go for the best old-school Mexican restaurants, loncheras slinging tacos out of a half-window, and innovative modern Mexican food pushing culinary boundaries?

To help you out, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Mexican restaurants in Muncie using data from Yelp . Only restaurants with at least five reviews were considered. Data is current as of January 2024.

Keep reading to see if your favorite spot made the list.

Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.

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#12. Taco Bell

- Rating: 2.5/5 (7 reviews) - Price level: $ - Address: 3201 North Morrison Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Fast food, Mexican - Read more on Yelp

#11. Margaritas Gone Wild

- Rating: 2.5/5 (7 reviews) - Address: 1813 West University Ave. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican - Read more on Yelp

#10. La Hacienda

- Rating: 3.0/5 (27 reviews) - Price level: $$ - Address: 2620 South Madison St. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican - Read more on Yelp

#9. QDOBA Mexican Eats

- Rating: 3.5/5 (23 reviews) - Price level: $ - Address: 720 East Mcgalliard Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican, fast food - Read more on Yelp

#8. Puerto Vallarta

- Rating: 3.5/5 (64 reviews) - Price level: $$ - Address: 3505 Wheeling Ave. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican, Bars, Venues & Event Spaces - Read more on Yelp

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#7. Puerto Vallarta Restaurant

- Rating: 3.5/5 (86 reviews) - Price level: $$ - Address: 508 South Tillotson Ave. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican, Salad, Bars - Read more on Yelp

#6. Chava's Mexican Grill

- Rating: 4.0/5 (26 reviews) - Address: 1801 West University Ave. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican - Read more on Yelp

#5. Casa Del Sol

- Rating: 4.0/5 (52 reviews) - Price level: $ - Address: 206 South Walnut St. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican, Breakfast & Brunch, Tapas/Small Plates - Read more on Yelp

#4. Salsa's Mexican Grill Express

- Rating: 4.5/5 (7 reviews) - Address: 2421 South Madison St. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican - Read more on Yelp

#3. Puerto Vallarta Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

- Rating: 4.5/5 (32 reviews) - Price level: $ - Address: 4000 North Broadway Ave. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican, Salad, Cocktail Bars - Read more on Yelp

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#2. Cholula Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 4.5/5 (14 reviews) - Address: 3100 North Granville Ave. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican - Read more on Yelp

#1. Acapulco Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 4.5/5 (54 reviews) - Address: 3201 West Bethel Ave. Muncie, Indiana - Categories: Mexican - Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Cynthia Rebolledo, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.

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