It is really great when you live in a small town and know who to call.  Sally knew the Hobart police dispatcher so arrangements were made to take photos on July 3, 2023 at the corner of Third and Main Street. At noon, we all converged on the location to re-enact the 1915 photo that is one of two family photos we have of the car when it was nearly new. The Hobart police stopped traffic in 3 directions and we had local photographer Tom Ling of Classic Photo positioned to reproduce the shot.

Hobart Police block the intersection so we can take our photo at 3rd & Main.

Here’s what we got:

Corner of 3rd Street & Main Street, Hobart, Indiana – July 4, 1915

July 3, 2023 Corner of Third & Main Streets, Hobart IN – photo courtesy of Tom Ling, Classic Photo

Following the photo at the corner, we all drove 2 blocks to the Hobart Historical Society Museum and took a photo of all the family that was able to show up for the festivities.

Left to right: Craig Correll, Conner Lewis on running board (FD) Janet Correll (FD) Fleck Descendant, Sally Davis (FD), Eric D’Ambrosio-Correll (FD), Jeff Ewen (FD), Ella D’Ambrosio-Correll (FD), Kristie D’Ambrosio-Correll, Olivia Davis (FD), Clarence Davis, Chris Davis (FD), Chris Presley, Tori Correll (FD), Eileen Grogan.

Once we had the re-creation photo, we were set for the big parade. Would we fry the clutch? Would we boil the radiator? Would something else go haywire? The possibilities were endless. I’d only been preparing for this for about 10 years……………… Craig slept restlessly the night of July 3rd.

Hobart Parade Route 2023 — A different route from 1915. Although we did go through the intersection of 3rd and Main Streets.

Parade vehicles were staged in front of a Hobart Middle School.

Several thousand people lined the 2 mile parade route as Tori Correll & Olivia Davis handed out Tootsie Rolls & Peppermints and Kyle White & Chris Davis carried our banner.

Parade fans, Kristie, Ella & Eric cheered us on from the shaded sidewalk.

We all waved at our family contingent and even little Ella loved the parade.

As we went through downtown, towards 3rd & Main, the route started to get pretty warm. But the Michigan kept its cool.

We made it to the final stretch of the parade route without any mishaps. No overheating, no burnt clutch, no stalls……. PERFECT!

We made it back home to the Davis garage and were ready for a cool beverage.

When we became the new custodians of the Michigan we  promised the descendants of the Fleck family that we would try to get the car restored and then participate in the July 4th Parade in Hobart, Indiana. That became a reality in 2023.  The drive out from California got off to a bit of a bumpy start the first day with 2 blowouts on our trailer within 35 miles each other near St. George, Utah. Fortunately, the Costco in St. George carried trailer tires. We ended up with 4 new tires. The original tires from 2013 had apparently rotted

Blowout #1 St. George UT

Blowout #2, 35 miles NE of St. George UT

On our way east we stopped in Denver to see Kelly Davis Tyson, her husband, Nick and their two kids, Sawyer and Greyson.

Craig, Janet, Kelly, Greyson, Nick & Sawyer. Arvada, CO June 20, 2023

Our next stop was to visit the Kahle family in Newkirk, Oklahoma.  The Kahle family is now in their 3rd generation as farmers on the Correll Homestead just outside of town.

Dawn, Monte, Nancy & Eric Kahle, with Craig & Janet all inspecting the Michigan.

Our next visit was with John Fleck, in Chesterfield, Missouri. We visited John back in 2013, when we were trailering the Michigan from Hobart, Indiana to California. John is the grandson of Michael Fleck, the original owner of our Michigan. You can review our meeting with John on our journey west by viewing our blog post from October 26, 2013. https://wp.me/p45zSY-1N

John Fleck and his daughter, Jody got to ride in the restored Michigan around their neighborhood in Chesterfield, MO June 24, 2023

Both he and Jody had a great time touring their neighborhood in the old car he remembered playing in so many years ago.

On June 24, 2023, we arrived at the home of Sally & Clarence Davis in Hobart, Indiana. Hobart is where the Michael Fleck once lived; where the Michigan was garaged for most of its existence; and where we stored the car from 2011 to 2013.

We had been asked by the Hobart Chamber of Commerce to  provide a brief story regarding the Michigan’s history in Hobart. We were very pleased to see that our car was to be the cover story for the 2023 Hobart Fourth of July brochure. And preparations for the big event were commenced.

Cover Story – 108 years in the making.

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Sisters, Sally & Janet (Fleck descendants) with the parade banner.