Car Shows Provide Economic Shot-in-the Arm and a Lot More

Attending a week-end car show is much more than observing a beautiful paint job on a classic hot rod or antique vehicle.

Across coastal Northern California and Oregon, as many as 300 vehicles strut their stuff on any given summertime week-end. Most of the Benefit Shows in our geography are celebrating 30 years or more anniversaries.

Area car Shows provide a venue for like-minded folks to gather and admire beautiful vehicular art and also provide much needed charity to communities in which they serve.

No politics, no arguments, just a mutual love for a relic of machinery which harken all of us back to halcyon days when life was a bit less complicated.

Car Shows are great for the local economy. Most car Shows are Benefit events. Funds are collected from vehicle entry fees and assorted events including Raffles, 50/50 Draw, Silent Auction, T-Shirt sales with vendors supplementing donation amounts. Those proceeds average 10’s of thousands of dollars per show and are directed to a myriad of needy services.

Brookings kicked off the “season” with the Curry Cruiser Benefit Car Show at the Brookings Harbor. The two day, 30th annual event included the Azalea Parade and took place Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26. $16,120 is in process of being distributed to some 24 local organizations which help in the feeding the community, supporting children, women, seniors, animal shelters, fire safety and related community activities. August 24, The Cruisers will announce the dispersal of these collected funds at 1pm at the Chetco Community Center.

The formula for the schedule of these Benefit Car Shows is essentially the same. A lot of good is being provided by the Curry Cruisers in Brookings.

The Tribes and their casinos also help in raising funds for worthy organizations. Lucky 7 Casino which formally was the prime supporter for the local Muscular Dystrophy Association will now host a car show event of approximately 125 classics and hot rods and raise funds for the Partnership for the Performing Arts Center due to break ground in 2026.

Indeed, Benefit Car Shows bolster our economy and provide vital services to our rural communities.

Here’s the schedule for the remainder of Car Show season, 2024:

• Redwood AutoXPO in Fortuna, July 26-28.

• Fabulous 50’s in Grants Pass, July 27.

• Del Norte County Fair, August 2.

• Firemen’s Steak Feed benefits fire prevention services in Coquille, August 3.

• Lucky 7 / Partnership for Performing Arts, Smith River, August 17.

• Winchester Bay Kool Coastal Nights, Winchester Bay, August 24.

• Elk Valley Casino/ Northern Knights, Crescent City, Inaugural event, August 31.

• Port Orford Car Show, August 31.

• Cruzin’ Eureka, 2nd and C Street, Old Town, Sept. 7.

• Ferndale Concours on Main St, Ferndale, Sept. 15.

• Cruising the Coast, Coos Bay, Sept. 21.

• Myrtle Point Car Show, Myrtle Point Sept. 28.

• Sea Cruise Car Show/ Chamber of Commerce/ Northern Knights Car Club at Beach Front Park, Crescent City, October 5.

Many thanks and recognition to Curry County Cruiser members Lori Connolly and Tom Lee for their contribution in helping report this story.