The rally sports, T-buckets, coupes and muscle cars will all be lining up Aug. 28, dominating the East Bank of the John C. Stennis Lock and Dam in Columbus.
On Saturday the Southern Cruisers Car Club of Mississippi Inc. will host its 19th annual Pride and Joy Cruise “Cruisin” the River Car Show” from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The show site overlooking the Columbus Lake and Tenn-Tom Waterway has ample parking for spectators. There is no admission charged for the general public. The site is made available by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who manage the park.
Open show
The ”open” show means anyone with any type vehicle can bring their “wheels” out and enter the competition. There will be classes for Street Rods, Muscle Cars, Trucks, Tuners and Classic, as well as a Motorcycle class.
Trophies will be awarded for first and second place in each class. Specialty trophies will include a participants” choice trophy.
Vehicle registration will be held from 8 a.m. until noon. The registration fee is $25 per vehicle. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m., following an auction.
Concessions will be available including homemade ice cream cranked the old-fashioned way, grilled burgers and hot dogs, drinks and more.
Have you seen this?
One thing setting this event apart from other car shows in the area will be the games and activities for registered participants of all ages. Contests run from toilet bowl races and valve cover racing, to cake walks and the show-stopping gravity slow drag races.
“For those who have never seen a ”slow drag race,” the car show site has a hill well-suited for gravity drags,” said co-organizer Gwen Rainwater of Columbus. “Competitors are all car show entrants who ”race” side by side down the hill with their vehicle in neutral gear and the engine not running.”
Racers rely on weight and good lubrication to propel them. The single elimination contest culminates with the winner challenging the 2009 King of the Hill winner for the 2010 title.
“It”s an exciting event, with lots of close finishes before the final challenge,” Rainwater added.
Coke, anyone?
Each year the Southern Cruisers car club sells tickets for a special raffle prize given away during the show.
“This year, with lots of help from club members, a vintage Coke box was gutted, sand blasted, painted and mounted on to a trailer that can pulled behind a vehicle,” Rainwater explained. “The box may be used for storage or as a cooler for picnics, etc. for social, church or family outings.”
Tickets for the Coke trailer drawing are $5 each, or five for $20. The proceeds go to local charities. Anyone may purchase raffle tickets from any Southern Cruisers club member, or at the show, or by calling 662-251-4935 or 662-574-2678.
Again this year, the club has selected four local charities to share the proceeds generated from the car show: Camp Rising Sun (a week-long camp held annually at Camp Henry Pratt for children with cancer), Outdoors Without Limits (hunting, fishing and camping experiences for disabled or handicapped children and adults of Lowndes County), the Area Council on Aging (which delivers hot, noon meals to seniors), and a Golden Triangle area nursing home.
The Southern Cruisers Car Club of Mississippi Inc. is a non-profit organization of car enthusiasts who hold monthly meetings on the first Thursday each month at 7 p.m. at various locations.
To learn more, visit www.southerncruisers.com or contact Carl Ulmer at 662-574-2678, or Gwen Rainwater at 662-251-4935.
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