Escalon will be classic car central on Saturday, with the Escalon Lions Club putting on its 21st annual Autumn Cruise.
The Sept. 6 show will encompass nearly a full day in and around the city’s Main Street Park and, by the end, will have raised thousands of dollars for scholarships that will be presented to graduating seniors at Escalon High School next spring.
“Pre-registered, we have 245 right now,” car show co-coordinator John Salvin said of Tuesday morning. “We are very close to last year’s totals, we are going to have 300 cars, maybe slightly over.”
The annual cruise brings in car collectors and auto enthusiasts from all over the Central Valley, many of whom have restored their cars to pristine perfection and now enjoy the opportunity to share stories with fellow car buffs.
Weather wise, Salvin said it looks like there will be sunny skies and temperatures in the low 90s.
“That’s perfect,” he said.
The cruise itself is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, though Salvin said the cars will start arriving about 6 a.m. to get a prime parking location in the park. There will also be a breakfast served at the Grange Hall on Main Street, across from the park, from 7 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.
The Lions Club will offer a lunch between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and the cruise festivities will also include a variety of local vendors setting up booths in the Main Street Park as well.
“Everything will get rolling about 8:30 a.m., we have our ceremonies at 9 a.m., the American Legion will come and present the colors for us,” Salvin said of starting off the day.
From then on, there will be vehicles to view, stories to swap, merchandise to peruse, along with the popular Treasure Chest chances and plenty of items available in the opportunity drawing. Salvin said a silent auction this year will also have a number of ‘big ticket’ items for people to bid on, from furniture to transmission services, tires and more.
A live auction will have a cord of wood and a ton of alfalfa hay as the largest items available.
Enthusiasts have been preparing for the car show by attending the regular Friday night pre-cruise events at Hula’s, which ran for several weeks and were offered as a ‘warm up’ to the big downtown show.
Participants in the cruise have the opportunity for one of more than 70 specialty awards and plaques, with the Best of Show honor also up for grabs. There will also be a fashion show offered, pinstriping services for vehicles will be available and music for the day will be provided by DJ Gene Adams.
To register for the show, contact John or Marylyn Salvin at 838-7077 or Bud Andrew at 815-5789.
“We have some big prizes this year and with our vendors, we are up to about 10 that should be out there,” said Salvin, noting that it should be a fun day for all attending.
The Lions Club provides several thousand dollars’ worth of scholarships each year to graduating seniors based on money raised at the show and Salvin said they should be able to do the same again this year. And vehicle owners of all types are welcome.
“We don’t have categories, we just call it a car show but we have had boats, trailers, motorcycles and cars,” Salvin said. “Bring what you’ve got and we’re happy.”
