Genoa 2024 car show canceled due to downtown construction, safety concerns

GENOA – The 2024 Cruisin’ to Genoa Car Show has been canceled due to safety concerns stemming from ongoing downtown construction, Genoa Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Krissy Johnson said Wednesday.

The car show was scheduled for Aug. 17. The annual family-friendly event gives car buffs a chance to check out vintage models and vote for their favorites.

Ongoing construction for a downtown Genoa revitalization project led by the city no longer is expected to be completed before the show, however, Johnson said. She said it was a tough call to make.

“We looked at numerous different options and, unfortunately, with the completion date of the work taking place downtown, the completion date was pushed back to 10 days after our car show was to take place. And due to liability issues, and what needed to take place for the car show to happen, we, the board of directors, made the very difficult and very thought-out decision to have to cancel the show,” Johnson said.

The car show cancellation was announced via a social media post by the Genoa chamber Tuesday night.

Johnson said city officials had planned for the construction on the downtown Genoa revitalization project to start immediately after Genoa Days in June with an expected completion date shortly before the Cruisin’ to Genoa Car Show.

Unexpected delays caused the project to affect the car show, however.

“The construction companies came in, and the very first day they started breaking up that concrete from the sidewalk to start construction of the renovations for the new sidewalk and new curb, they realized that there were three levels of concrete and a level of brick pavers underneath the concrete that was currently there,” Johnson said. “There was more than what was expected, and so it did add some time to the completion of the project.”

The construction along Route 72 in Genoa has rendered many of the area’s walking paths temporarily inaccessible. Two consecutive days of severe storms a week ago with heavy rain and wind battering the area did not help either, she said.

“The chamber of commerce is a not-for-profit organization that has to be fiscally responsible, as well as responsible for the safety of the community,” Johnson said. “And looking at it, we did talk with the city. I had conversations with the public works director, and we looked at every option – moving the car show to another location for this year, we looked at the possibility of changing the date.”

Johnson said she thinks the construction company working on the project is doing a great job and doesn’t want to pressure the workers to complete the project sooner than they are safely able.

This year’s cancellation isn’t expected to portend the end of the yearly event, however.

“The event will be back. I know that some people think that the car show guys, if we cancel an event, they might find something different to go to and might not come back,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, that’s a risk we have to take. I don’t want that to happen by any stretch of the imagination, but we also need to keep their safety in mind.”