After Jim Meyer's former navigator died, he talked his friend, Kevin Menning, into joining him on a trip with his convertible club. For Menning, it was love at first ride. "I fell in love with the people, the open road with the top down," he said.
"We go on county roads. It’s just beautiful." After serving as a navigator -- while Meyer drove -- for three years, Menning invested in his own convertible - a 1983 Ford Mustang convertible - which he describes as "one of one.
" Menning joined a Wisconsin-based convertible club Meyer was a part of, OpenAir Tours, and began joining his friend on trips, many in western Wisconsin. But this year, Menning and Meyer didn't have to travel far at all. The two friends and native Dubuquers were joined in the tri-state area Thursday by more than 170 convertibles and 350 enthusiasts for a three-day car cruise throughout the area, from Potosi, Wis.
to Dyersville, Iowa, to multiple landmarks within Dubuque city limits -- and everywhere in between. "I just wanted to see if they could come up with something I haven't seen in this town," Menning joked. "So far, they haven't.
" The convertible cruises are the brainchild of Gary Knowles, of Madison, Wis., who spent some time working in the tourism industry. In 1993, he and a friend thought it might be fun to organize a tour from Madison to Green Bay, Wis.
, and Knowles has been planning the tours since. In those 31 years, Knowles brought on his wife, Mae, his son, Alex Knowles, and his fiancé, Samantha Wagner, to help organize the rapidly growing group of convertible-owning travelers. "The first one was about 67 (participants)," Gary Knowles said.
"And then by the next year, the word had spread, and a lot of people heard about it. I think we had about 170, so we're about at that same level right now." For Sharon Rook, of Waunakee, Wis.
, and Sue Hoffman, of Middleton, Wis., the weekend getaway marked their first tour with the club and their first time in the tri-state area. Though they had only visited a few stops by Friday morning, they said they were enjoying their time in the area so far.
"We went to a coffee shop, we're (at Eagle Point Park), we're going to Potosi for a beer thing ...
so yeah, it's really fun," Hoffman said. But though they said they enjoyed the stops, the friends also took time to joke around and admire the different cars on the tour. "You've got to vote for the car that you would go to jail for," Hoffman added, gesturing at a cherry red vintage convertible parked in Eagle Point Park.
"It would be this one." For Glena Weegans and her husband, Todd, both of Freeport, Ill., the tour -- during which participants could drive at their own pace before meeting with the group at the end of the day -- was a great way to slow down and really appreciate their surroundings.
"With me, my normal day-to-day is, point A, point B, destination, get it done, back home," Glena Weegans said. "So this gives me an opportunity to see what other people have thought were neat things to see." So far, the Weeganses enjoyed their stop at Dubuque's Convivium Urban Farmstead the most.
Their third family member -- a miniature Australian shepard named Halo -- was just happy to be invited. "She loves it all," Todd Weegans said of Halo "She just likes going, being in the open air and seeing all the people.".
