Scott Swanson
Sweet Home Sweet Ride Car Show will return this Saturday, June 26, and it may be big – very big.
Organizer Kimi Nash said she attended the Function 4 Junction show June 4-5 in Junction City, which “normally averages around 300 cards like we do.”
“One of their board members quit counting at 758 cars,” Nash said. “With so many car shows not being able to go, due to insurance, they were slammed hard.
“She warned me, ‘You’d better be ready. You’re gonna get hit like we did.”
Soooooo, Sweet Home Sweet Ride will start at 7 a.m. Saturday, unless there’s a long line waiting to get in, in which case the gates will open early, Nash said.
“We don’t want to have traffic issues, back to Highway 20,” she said.
Registration is $20 per initial vehicle and $15 per motorcycle, with added vehicles an additional $10 each. Competition categories include Model A’s, Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, Chevelles, Novas, GTOs, PT Cruisers, street rods, rat rods, muscle cars, modern muscle cars, pro-street, wagons and deliveries, Tri-5 Chevy, Ford, Mercury, Mopar, import, orphan, work-in-progress, custom and cars by decades. Divisions will also be offered for off-road/4WD, pickups by decade, motorcycles, semi trucks, mini trucks and vintage trailer divisions.
Opening ceremonies will be a 9 a.m., but they won’t include the Young Marines, who won’t be able to participate due to COVID restrictions.
An on-site poker walk begins at 9:15 a.m.
Judging will be at 10 a.m. and will run till 11:30, whereupon scores will be totaled.
“This is going to be where it gets a little crazy,” Nash said, noting that, due to COVID restraints, no awards ceremony will be held at the end. “As awards are being tallied, people will take the award to the vehicle itself and will take photos.”
A total of 101 trophies will be awarded, she said.
The burn-out pit will start at noon.
Nash said there will be specified areas for spectators.
Winners of the 50/50 drawing, the poker walk and raffles will be announced via white boards, she said.
The event is expected to end by about 2 p.m., but Nash said entrants will be encouraged to participate in an “after-hours cruise” as they leave.
“No frills, nothing to it. Just go up and down and cruise Sweet Home,” she said. “Old-school cruising. No prizes, just fun. Show off your ride.”
Volunteers are needed, due to the anticipated size of the crowd, she said.
Major sponsors include: Avner Gat Inc., Anderson Auto Body and Paint, Beaver State Corvette Club, Cascade Timber Consulting, KGAL Radio, KKRT Radio, Lebanon Prayer Warriors CMA 595, Les Schwab Tire, MyKeyWeb LLC, Napa of Sweet Home, O&M Point S Tires, the Oregon Jamboree, Paradise Coach, Play It Again Sports, The Point Restaurant and Sports Lounge, Primasing Motors, RCB International Ltd., South Pacific Auto, Spoletto’s Pizzeria, Sweet Home Sanitation, Vietnam Veterans #585, and Vineyard Trucking.
“We’re pretty excited to see what happens,” Nash said. “We’ll go from there.”