This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette’s Bellefonte Cruise Guide.
BELLEFONTE — Long before the chrome gleamed under streetlights and engines rumbled through downtown, the Bellefonte Cruise began as a simple idea. It was a brainstorm from a man who loved cars and community in equal measure.
That man was Jack Houser.
Each year, as thousands gather for one of Centre County’s most anticipated traditions, Houser’s legacy lives on in a four-foot-tall symbol of pride: the Jack Houser Memorial Trophy, awarded as the event’s Best of Show.
“It was his brainstorm,” Gary Henry said. “He’s the one that started everything.”
Henry would know. He was there at the beginning.
Houser, alongside a tight-knit group of local car enthusiasts, helped launch what would become a regional staple. Inspired by similar events in nearby State College, Houser believed Bellefonte could build something just as special.
“If State College could do it, he couldn’t see why we couldn’t do it,” Henry said.
They did more than match it. They built something uniquely Bellefonte.
In those early years, the Cruise was smaller but no less electric. The first events even included a dance at the YMCA, though popularity quickly outgrew the space.
“There wasn’t enough room to fall down,” Henry said with a chuckle.
As the Cruise evolved by moving events outdoors and expanding into the multi-day celebration it is today, one thing nearly slipped through the cracks: recognition of the man who started it all.
Houser passed away in 1998. Not long after, Henry noticed something missing.
“They didn’t mention his name or anything about being the founder,” he said.
So Henry and his wife, Vicki, stepped in.
“I came up with the brainstorm of the Jack Houser Memorial Trophy,” he said. “We started that in ’99, I believe it was. And I’ve been doing it ever since.”
What began as a memorial tribute soon became the Cruise’s highest honor — the Best of Show award. Today, the towering, three-tier trophy is a centerpiece of the event, crafted each year with slight variations but always carrying the same name and meaning.
For many participants, it’s more than just a prize.
“There’s a lot of people out there that come just to get that trophy,” Henry said.
And yet, in a nod to the community spirit that defines the Cruise, winners tend to rotate. It’s less about dominance and more about celebration. It’s a chance for different builders, collectors and dreamers to have their own moment in the spotlight.
That spirit traces back to Houser himself.
“He was just one of them get-to-go guys,” Henry said. “He was always into cars. Loved drag racing.”
More importantly, he brought people together.
Today, the Bellefonte Cruise draws visitors from across the region filling the borough with the sounds of engines and the stories behind them.
“It brings a lot of people from a long way off,” Henry said. “And I think the local people get a big kick out of it. I think they really look forward to it.”
For Henry, the trophy is a way to make sure that amid the excitement, the origin story isn’t forgotten.
“I just like for his name to be mentioned every year as the founder,” he said. “If it wouldn’t have been for Jack, we wouldn’t have a cruise.”
And so each year, as the Best of Show is announced and the crowd leans in to see who takes home the prize, Houser’s name is spoken again. It’s spoken not just as a memory but as the foundation of something that continues to grow.
A simple idea. A group of friends. A town that showed up.
And a legacy that still rolls on.
The Bellefonte Cruise is underway Friday, June 19, through Saturday, June 20. For schedules and details visit bellefontecruise.org.
