WATERLOO - Neither morning rain showers nor record-high gas prices could keep the vintage cars away Saturday for the 26th annual Fourth Street Cruise in downtown Waterloo.

"Get your kicks at Cruise 26" was the theme this year, and some of the drivers wasted no time doing just that under the shelter of the Washington Street overpass, hours before they would cruise the Fourth Street strip at noon.

Lee Hanlin, one of those gathering under the bridge, has entered a car in the cruise for seven straight years. This year, she drove her 1960 DeSoto Fireflight. As she dried rain drops from the hood early Saturday morning, she credited her father with giving her an appreciation for vintage cars.

"My dad owned a 1931 Model-A Ford which I still possess," Hanlin said. "Rain or shine, if you have a vintage car you have to show it."

After watching for 25 years, Jesse Lyons and his wife, Pat, decided to participate by driving for their second year - this time, behind the wheel of their recently restored 1970 Chevelle Supersport.

"The cruise is a tradition," Lyons said. "Our kids come down too."

Lyons was one of many drivers that brought a car to the parking lot of Pioneer Graphics for a chance to be featured in the printing company's annual calendar which is showcasing cars of the Cedar Valley for the first time.

Jim Miller, president of Pioneer Graphics Commercial Printing, had 20 cars lined up at 8 a.m. to have their pictures taken.

"We're going to feature the cars in our regular calendar," Miller said. "But if we have a good turnout, we want to start doing a larger, second calendar."

Rain threatened the crowd already gathered on the sidewalks of Fourth Street just minutes before the cruise was to begin. But, as if on cue, the precipitation ceased as the first car took off. Popular music from different eras played around the newly extended cruise route, adding to the nostalgia for many.

Ron Grimm and his family have never missed a year of both watching and participating in the cruise. This year, they drove two of their vintage cars in their 26th cruise and then found an empty place on the sidewalk to watch the rest.

"The best part is seeing people, meeting them, waving at them in their cars," Grimm said. "We like to sit and watch the cars, but we like meeting the people too."

Grimm also has made it a point to keep the tradition alive in his family through his two sons, Brandon and Karl, who both rode in the first cruise.

"My older son has a couple cars now and my other son will own a vintage car someday too," Grimm said. "We were all packed in the car together."

The Fourth Street Cruise takes on a whole different meaning for Heidi Babcock. It marks her wedding anniversary every year. Babcock and her husband, Shane were married on the same Saturday of the 2006 cruise. After leaving the ceremony, they rode in the back of a convertible down Fourth Street still outfitted in their wedding attire.

"Right after our wedding we came and rode," Babcock said. "It brings back really great feelings and our kids ride in it now too."

Babcock says she and her husband plan on riding in the Fourth Street Cruise every year from now on to celebrate their anniversary.

The bright colors of the different makes and models moving down the streets glistened even brighter when the sun shone through the clouds in typical cruise-weather fashion. Numerous lawn chairs filled the streets and long lines formed at the various vendors proving that Mother Nature had once again been unsuccessful in raining on this parade.

Contact Molly Hottle at newsroom@wcfcourier.com.