Holy Hot Rods, Batman! August Cruise gets visit from the Caped Crusader

Aug. 26—There's not much that Batman can't handle, from a ferocious rogues' gallery to the streets of Gotham City. But summer heat, on the other hand, proves a daunting match for a person in a Batsuit.

Nevertheless, John Buckland braved the elements and made a return visit to Somernites Cruise on Saturday with a replica of the Batmobile made famous in the films of the late '80s and early '90s with Michael Keaton in the role of the Caped Crusader.

"I always love coming back to Somerset; it's almost like a homecoming every time," said Buckland, not of Gotham City but instead Huntington, WV.

Buckland has appeared at the Cruise numerous times over the years on behalf of the Heroes 4 Higher (H4H) Foundation, a national outreach effort that both shares lessons against bullying and drugs to young kids and also honors children who have passed away, frequently serving as pallbearers at children's funerals or making appearances to enliven spirits where they have been tragedies.

Of course, with the Batman costume and one of the most famous cars in pop culture, Buckland's tent saw a steady line of visitors during the day — thankfully, no Joker or Penguin to be found but rather Somernites Cruisegoers eager to have their picture taken with a convincing facsimile of the DC Comics character.

"Every time I come, I don't keep just meeting the same people, I keep meeting new people," said Buckland. "It's a really good way to get the message out there: Tough things make us stronger. Never give up. It's a really good way for us to have a relationship with the community, where we can encourage people through the tough times and do something fun."

Buckland's message is about staying strong in difficult times and always doing the right thing, he noted — "Help other people. Never be a bully." He does school assemblies all over the world, having been in the Ukraine in April and Poland last year, as well as regularly around the United States.

However, while kids are the primary audience for Buckland's message, "I think the grown-ups get even more excited" to see Batman and the Batmobile, which Buckland had built in 2015.

"That one there will always be the flagship," he said of the particular look for the Batmobile, which has changed appearances in numerous forms of Batman-related media over the decades.

Batman wasn't the only popular character from the cartoon world to be spotted at August's Cruise, however. The Pink Panther could be found, appropriately enough, sitting on the hood of the bright pink 1965 Mustang (named "Tickle Pink") brought by Benitta Russell, the first female driver inducted into the Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame, in 2019.

Though she lives in Louisville now, Russell, 77, is a Somerset native and graduate of Somerset High School. Her eye-catching car was located on the east side of the Fountain Square, near the Judicial Center Plaza, and attracted a fair amount of interest throughout the day Saturday.

"I used to have that little car, I bought it for $500, drove my kids to school in it. I finally decided to put it on the drag strip in between '83 and '84," she said. "We decided in '88 to paint it. So I had a dream one night, and I said, 'I'm going to paint that pink.' They said, 'No, you don't want to paint that pink,' and I said, 'Yes, I want to paint that pink.'

"As of today, I am so glad I did, because we take it to a lot of shows," she continued, noting that she also uses it the promote Breast Cancer Awareness, a cause for which pink is the official color. "What got me out there is my son drag raced on the street and got caught. They said, 'If you're out there on the drag strip, we won't give you a ticket.' ... I went out there and they said they had free drag racing. You got a trophy if you won. He was going to get in it but a lady was driving against him, so he put me in it. After that, it was history. I loved it."

Russell has won a number of awards over the years, including "Trophy Drive of the Year" in 1986, "Super Street Driver of the Year" in 1987, and twice "Best Club Member" and "Best Pit Crew." She was also the 1988 Ohio Valley Dragway Heavy Eliminator Points Champion.

Drag racing was a family thing for Russell, as her kids and husband would come with her to races, and she also just "had a feel for it," she said.

"I just liked to speed and maybe show off," she said, before adding with a smile, "but I never had a ticket on the street."

Russell also wants to get more women and young girls involved in the sport of drag racing. "Get them in there, because I'm the only woman that's in there with all these guys, big guys. ... I'm just so humbled (to be in the Hall of Fame)."

The pink car "gets as much attention as" Russell herself does, she said. "I'm crazy, I like to dance. When we go to car shows, I'm a big cut-up. I just love to have fun. I love life."

There were plenty of other notable cars to see at the August Somernites Cruise, but the most plentiful type was the Ford Mustang, as this month featured the always-popular "Mustang Alley" showcase.

In all, 1,033 cars took part in this month's Cruise event, with 469 Mustangs come through the special showcase gate, and another 125 to 150 scattered throughout the show, for a total of close to 600 Mustangs in attendance overall.

"August is usually our biggest month, so (attendance) was down a little bit," said Somernites Cruise Executive Director Keith Floyd. "I was expecting 1,100 or 1,200 with the heat and it wound up storming some in northern Kentucky ... so I knew we lost some cars from that area. But we weren't far off what I was expecting. They were talking about huge heat and storms (around mid-afternoon) that didn't materialize."

Temperatures were in the high 80s, but the heat was heavy in the air. Still, a cool breeze penetrated the streets of downtown Somerset at times, providing a little relief for those packing the Fountain Square area to check out this month's collection of cars brought in by Somernites fans.

Floyd said Batman had been a "big hit" with Cruisegoers on Saturday. He also recalled that last year at this time, the Cruise had been trying to set a Guinness World Record — a mark they didn't reach, even though they still broke the Cruise's overall car attendance count, with more than 2,100 rolling into town last year.

"It's been a good day," said Floyd. "After last year's August show, this has been kind of like a break, a breather."

The winner of the "Ultimate Door Prize," a 2003 Ford Mustang sponsored by J.R. Jackson Auto Sales, was Matt Davis from Connersville, Indiana, and the "long distance winner" for August was from Mauston, Wisconsin, a traveling distance of 636 miles to be at Somernites Cruise.

Another attraction at August's show was the mini-meet for the Maverick Comet Club International, a group dedicated to the Ford Maverick and the Mercury Comet, two vehicles from the '60s and '70s that are fondly recalled by collectors and car fans.

Cruise Team member Tony Hahn is a member of that club and a state representative for Kentucky along with his brother Terry, and talked about the popularity of those nostalgic vehicles.

"We host (the mini-meet) within Somernites Cruise," said Hahn. "I think we ended up today with 15 or 16 cars, which is a good number for a mini-meet."

Hahn noted that the club is international like the name implies, with membership stretching all over the globe.

"The backstory for most people is, that was probably their first car or high school car," said Hahn of the Maverick and Comet. "You're re-living that youth, that dream (by celebrating the cars)."