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Cruising St. Celestine car shows
Joe Gyselink puts the air cleaner cover back on his '62 Chevy Impala, a car he was married in and that he's had for 27 years.Gyselink helps run the St. Celestine Men's Club Cruise Nights. | Jon Langham~for Sun-Times Media
Vintage Car Shows
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Updated: June 4, 2012 10:52AM
Joe Gyselinck of Elmwood Park started restoring vintage cars when he was in high school with one goal in mind: to show them off.
Now, at 47, Gyselinck cruises around in his white 1962 Chevy Impala.
“I do it because I like doing it,” he said explaining why he restores cars.
It’s something that has evolved from his teenage years when he and his brother, Bernie, spent hours in their garage working on cars so they could one day show them off to the world.
For the past four years Joe Gyselinck has been organizing car show at St. Celestine in Elmwood Park as a member of the Men’s Club. They had their fourth one April 21 in the church’s parking lot.
“When I joined the men’s club they asked if anyone had any ideas on how we could raise and I suggested a car show. Since then it has worked out OK,” he said.
At the recent car show the parking lot was filled with cars from different eras and styles — antique, classic, muscle cars and hot rods.
“I love the atmosphere,” he said about car shows. “I love muscle cars. I’ve loved them since I was a kid.”
Although it’s a lot of work organizing the car shows, Gyselinck says the fun is seeing what other cars people have as well as talking shop. There’s a fee that car owners pay for each car at the show. All the money raised goes to the church, which was about $1,000 last month.
“It is getting bigger and better every year,” he said. “We had 40 cars this past weekend.”
While Joe Gyselinck chats up the car enthusiasts and gives out promotional items he’s received from local businesses during the car show, his brother Bernie is the DJ and does whatever his brother needs help doing.
“I’ll do anything as long I don’t have to talk,” Bernie Gyselinck said. “I’m kind of a behind-the-scenes type of guy.”
“I go around and try to meet them and talk to them,” Joe Gyselinck said. “I try to get their feedback on how things should be.”
New this year are trophies given out for the best cars at the event in different categories.
When they are not organizing the church’s car show, the brothers go out cruising. The two started their own cruising club in 1989 called Riverview Cruisers Car Club.
What started out as a one way to attract the attention of girls has turned into a way to show off his car. Besides, he’s a married man.
“I love cleaning my car,” Joe Gyselinck said. “I’ve got to make it look pretty.”
And his hobby gives back to the community.
“I don’t make any money on the church shows,” Joe Gyselinck said. “We just like doing it.”
