DOVER — There are many fundraisers that make perfect sense, but to Hilary Welliver, it is the ones that might appear to be mismatched that often prove to be the most fun.
That’s why Ms. Welliver, director of the Kent County Public Library, is so excited that the Friends of Kent County Public Library will be hosting its fourth annual “Rods for Reading” Car Show on Aug. 31 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The fundraising event for the Kent County Public Library is set to be held at the G & R Campground at 4075 Gun and Rod Club Road in Houston. The rain date is Sept. 1.
“We do a lot of unique things, but this is the one that I think is the most fun,” Ms. Welliver said. “We have a staff member (Phoenix Cote, Friends treasurer), who is really into cars and rebuilding cars and has built cars of her own that are fabulous. You should see her Ford Mustang. It wins a lot of shows.
“I don’t know … people are bouncing around all kinds of ideas for fundraisers because we want to do something different that will catch people’s attention, and Phoenix suggested a car show and said that they would head it up, and it was such a cool idea ... and I love cars myself.”
She did point out that the Kent County Bookmobile, one of only two bookmobiles in the state, will be appearing at the car show.
Ms. Welliver said that most everybody has a relationship with automobiles. For her, her grandfather used to own a car dealership, and her dad built his own car when he was in high school.
She fondly remembers driving around in her old AMC Javelin years ago.
Debra Lawhead, president of the Friends of the Kent County Public Library, sees the car show as an opportunity to expand their reach.
“I’m really excited about hosting the event and the large number of entrants,” she said. “Through the show, we gain a whole new audience to join us in promoting literacy and supporting the Kent County Public Library.”
The Rods for Reading car show will feature a wide variety of automobiles, vendors, food concessions, and more.
More than 200 car enthusiasts from all over the East Coast registered to show off their rides last year, and more are expected to participate this year.
Entry to the show is free for visitors and registration for a vehicle in the car show is $15. In addition to the car show there will be a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, a basket raffle, and a small book and puzzle sale.
Ms. Welliver said the event continues to grow year after year.
“It sounded like a lot of fun, so four years ago we had our first car show, and it was successful,” she said. “We had about 100 cars show up the first time, which wasn’t bad for a first-time show. It was pretty good actually.
“At this point now we (attract) more than 200 cars, and such a variety of cars because we don’t say it’s only Fords or it’s only whatever. So, we get everything from these mud trucks to vintage jalopies, to dune buggies, to fancy motorcycles … it’s just an amazing variety of cars.”
For information about registering a car in the show, call Ms. Cote, Friends Treasurer, at 302-744-1919.
Staff writer Mike Finney can be reached at 302-741-8230 or mfinney@iniusa.org.
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