Miracle on 28th Street

by guest columnist Allen Bachelder

The corner of 28th and Patterson in Grand Rapids Michigan looks totally normal. Just ten blocks north of the Gerald R Ford International Airport, a well-developed string of hotels, restaurants and bars line up on 28th Street, seemingly for miles – everything to comfort the weary traveler.

But there is also a Miracle that occurs on 28th Street: an infrequent event, right at the corner of Patterson Avenue. History tells us that for over twenty years from 1977 until 1999 John Twist and his late wife Caroline Robinson pioneered MG car shows. Their soon-to-become famous annual University Motors Summer Parties, usually attracted 500-600 cars and over a thousand attendees.

This event would also become the model for hundreds of other British car events throughout North America. The car show was in Douglas Walker Park, out on 84th Street, but “The Hilton” always hosted these events, with overflow visitors filling the Economy Inn across the street on Patterson.

While John and Caroline would plan and execute numerous fascinating events to consume our time and interest during our whole stay – often culminating in VSCDA vintage races at nearby Grattan Raceway Park on the final Sunday, most memorable were the spontaneous “tire kicking” parties that would erupt nightly on the Hilton rear parking lot – running long into each night.

But the magic continues. John Twist’s University Motors Summer Party Reunions mysteriously reappear at random and unpredictable intervals. It happened again on August 18-19, 2023. These photos are proof. This past August, over 100 MGs were apparently spotted here on this sacred site, along with dozens of vintage UM Summer Party t-shirts. Check back at UniversityMotors.Online or the Facebook page frequently so you don’t miss the next one.