(La Porte, IN) - Last night, downtown La Porte took a time machine back to the fabulous 50s.

La Porte hadn’t seen so many poodle skirts since Eisenhower was in office.  A 50s-style cruise-in brought the downtown to life.  The sights and sounds of a bygone era brought smiles to everyone’s faces.

 

At the corner of State and Monroe, Spike and the Spitwads played all the best oldies.  State Street became Memory Lane for La Porte's Ron and Teresa McQuillin, who danced cheek to cheek in the middle of the street.  "We like this kind of music," admitted Ron. "And we actually have a thirty-year-old convertible that we like to cruise around in too."

 

"And it's a beautiful night," his wife added. The couple, who is going on 35 years of marriage, said the atmosphere took them back to the days of school dances and the many weddings they've had fun at over the years.

 

Over a dozen contestants competed in the 50s costume contest. La Porte's Jordan Hoops and her nineteen-month-old niece Heaven took the top prize.  Hoops says she came for the cars, but stayed for the costumes. "We've never dressed up like this before; this is a first," she chuckled. "I'm a big car fanatic; I'm a motorhead. My niece likes cars just as much as I do." As for her get-up, Hoops credited Amazon and an elderly friend who gave her some advice.

 

Music and dancing continued well into the night with La Porte's downtown providing the perfect backdrop to a trip back in time.