Final DL Cruise Night of 2023 draws hundreds of cars and spectators to Detroit Lakes
Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Wednesday evening marked the final DL Cruise Night along West Lake Drive in Detroit Lakes for 2023.
The monthly summer classic car rally along the shores of Detroit Lake has drawn hundreds of vintage vehicles from across the lakes area and west-central Greater Minnesota region.
The events have been hosted by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce as a way to increase tourism to Detroit Lakes throughout the summer, but, if you talk to some of the car owners, it’s the vehicles themselves and the socializing with the classic car community that draws people in.
Myron Dybing, of Detroit Lakes, used to drive a 1950 Chevy, nicknamed the Lavender Lady, but he drove his 1959 Chevy Impala to the event Wednesday and said there is just something special about fixing up these classic machines.
“The engine was froze,” said Dybing. “The body had a couple rust spots. The floors were gone, which was typical, but he said, ‘otherwise, it’s solid.’ So I went and looked at it and, yeah, the floors and the trunk were gone, but you can buy all of that through reproduction, so I bought them all and welded them in.””
It took Dybing four winters of work to refurbish the ’59 Impala and, some days, things got a little messy.
“I’d come in like a mess because when I ground out the floor down there and all that old dirt and rust that was there, I’d come in black from head to toe. You don’t come in the house to eat lunch. You eat it out in the garage.” he said.
Rick Weaver, of Fargo, is part of Valley Vintage Car Club and drove his 1989 Pontiac Firebird to the cruise night. He also showed off a custom feature that sounds when someone gets too close to his 80s classic.
And, although he couldn’t pin point the exact moment he became interested in classic cars, he’s always enjoyed taking them apart and putting them back together.
“I don’t know, I’ve always been interested in cars my whole life,” said Weaver. “I worked in a shop for a few years and I’ve always been involved with it. Taking it apart and putting it back together. I love working on cars.”
Myron Dybing said he also loves seeing the faces of kids who get jaw-dropped by the variety and colors of the vintage machines. Adding, he thinks these events could inspire the next generations of classic car owners.
“If I see a family coming, and they’ve got a daughter or son that’s looking, I’ll pop the door and say, ‘climb in,'” said Dybing. “I go, I’ve got two rules, nothing sharp in your back pocket and no grease. Otherwise, you can climb in, look, see how it feels and get a little interested. “
With many of the muscle machines being put away for the winter following the event, many of the drivers are already looking forward to next year’s DL Cruise Nights, the first of which will be June 12, 2024.
White Earth man sentenced to 50 years for kidnapping
A White Earth man has been sentenced to 50 years in a South Dakota prison for a kidnapping in March 2022.
36-year-old Ryan Degroat was arrested at a rest stop north of Edgeley, North Dakota after abducting a 41-year-old woman from her mother’s home in Brown County, South Dakota.
Law enforcement used cell phone triangulation to locate the suspect’s car in North Dakota. The woman was treated for her injuries at a Jamestown hospital.
Degroat pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the single charge of first degree kidnapping.
In 2015, Degroat was charged in Becker County District Court with felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon stemming from a domestic assault incident in Ogema in 2015. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but the sentence was stayed for seven years with supervised probation that expired in 2022.
Degroat was also charged with felony fifth-degree assault in 2005 that centered around a fight with tribal police officers. He was also charged with criminal vehicular operation in 2007.
Last defendant sentenced in ND crude oil theft conspiracy
The last of four men charged in a scheme to steal millions of dollars worth of crude oil in western North Dakota’s oil field has been sentenced.
Authorities in 2022 said the oil skimming scheme involved $2.4 million in crude oil.
Darrell Woody Merrell of Watford City pleaded guilty on Thursday to felony charges of theft conspiracy and dealing in stolen property.
A state district court judge sentenced him to serve nearly a year in jail and two years of supervised probation and to pay $200,000 restitution.
Prosecutors alleged Merrell skimmed oil as a truck driver in the case.
Defendants Michael Garcia, Mark McGregor and Joseph Vandewalker were sentenced in past months to varying years in prison after pleading guilty to charges.
Main cabin at Cass Lake Lodge deemed ‘total loss’ following Tuesday fire
The main cabin at Cass Lake Lodge was deemed a “total loss” following a fire on Tuesday night.
On Sept. 12 at 10:20 p.m., Cass County emergency dispatchers received a report of a structure fire at the main cabin, located in Pike Bay Township in rural Cass Lake.
Upon arrival, first responders noted the cabin was fully engulfed in flames and worked to extinguish the blaze.
The Cass Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Bemidji Fire Department in battling the fire.
No injuries were reported at the scene and the cause of the fire remains under an active investigation through the state fire marshal’s office.
New Zips Car Wash offering free car washes through Sept. 17 for opening weekend
Detroit Lakes officially has a new car wash as a new Zips opened along the Highway 10 Frontage Road on the west side of the city.
Members of the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce were on-hand to conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony and present the car wash team with their honorary “first dollar” plaque.
The staff at Zips Car Wash also presented the local nonprofit Patriot Assistance Dogs with a $500 donation as part of their deepening commitment to Detroit Lakes community organizations.
John Dunn, area vice president for Zips Car Wash, told attendees the new facility is state-of-the-art and he hopes it’s a great addition for the community.
“We want to thank everyone for joining us for the grand opening of the second Zips Car Wash here in Detroit Lakes,” said Dunn. “We’re excited to celebrate our new location here. It’s one of the few state-of-the-art locations in the country and it has our new chemicals that we put in. Zips is known as America’s feel-good cash wash across the country. Over 280 locations across 25 different states and we hope this team and our services makes everybody feel great here in the community of Detroit Lakes.”
Dunn also said the new facility has nearly 40 vacuum stations and their new chemical protectant for vehicles, graphene, could be a game changer.
“It adds an extra layer of protection to the car the more times you go through,” he said. “It builds like a hard shell to the top of the car the more times you go through. So it protects it more than a wax would do. You got the wax that goes on and then the graphene, so the molecules mesh in with the paint and as the chemical hits the paint, it hardens the shell of the paint.”
The new car wash also has multiple vehicle mat washer and dryers next to the vacuum area for drivers to use as part of their wash.
The facility will employ between 15-20 people with a majority being part-time staff.
The new Zips also installed heated elements inside the concrete near the entrance and exit to their car wash, which should prevent freezing and allow the facility to be used by drivers year-round.
“We have heated elements coming in,” he said. “We have heated elements coming out. So the ground is not frozen when you come out and you are not slipping and sliding. We’ll have the lots plowed constantly.”
Adding, he expects the new location to service between 600-700 cars per day.
The new Zips Car Wash is offering free car washes through Sept. 17 for anyone that stops by during their opening weekend.
Man convicted of 2018 attempted murder in Moorhead sentenced to more than 5 years for mail carrier assault
A man who was convicted for attempted murder in Moorhead in 2018 will spend 5.5 years in federal prison for punching a mail carrier in St. Paul the same year.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, on Oct. 26, 2018, 27-year-old Kevin Blocker had to brake quickly to allow a mail carrier to cross the street. The mail carrier shouted to Blocker that he had to yield the right-of-way.
Blocker, then, parked his car, confronted the mail carrier and punched him in the face.
The mail carrier fell and hit his head on the concrete and needed 12 stitches to close a wound on the back of his head.
Blocker tried to cover up the crime by reporting his car stolen and selling it.
In 2020, Blocker was sentenced to 11 years in a Minnesota state prison for shooting a juvenile during an attempted robbery five weeks after the mail carrier assault.
In that case, Blocker tried to steal marijuana from the juvenile. The two struggled for a gun and the juvenile was shot.
Blocker’s federal sentence will begin after his state sentence is complete.
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