By Mary Owen
Beep, beep!
Attention car lovers: some of the area’s hottest vehicles will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18 at the annual Cruz-In at the Lake in downtown Detroit Lake.
“We close the main street in town for this event,” Mayor Pat Carty said. “We’ve been lucky with good weather, and we’re expecting a late summer here. And it’s the last event of the season, so we hope people will drop in and have some fun.”
Carty said the event brings people from east of the mountain and the Willamette Valley. Since the entire main street is foot traffic only, the Cruz-In offers a safe place for car owners to show off their vehicles, he added.
“New this year are the ’80s, ’90s and 2000 and beyond categories,” said Kim Fowler, vice president of the Detroit Lake Recreation Area Business Association, sponsors of the Cruz-In.
“We’re trying to get the full gamut of people who have done some nice things to their cars to come and show them.”
Classic car buffs can also view vehicles from the ’30s to the ’70s as well as motorcycles and boats at the popular one-day event, which draws up to 100 entrants from throughout the area.
The popular car show begins with registration and line up along the main street at 9 a.m., followed by judging at 1 p.m. and an awards presentation at 2:30 p.m. The grand finalé will be a parade thought town following the awards, which includes a special jacket for the winner of Best in Show, picked by the entrants themselves. The $10 entry fee includes a special dash plaque.
All vintages are welcome, and with 20 classes, there is room for every type of vehicle. The categories are: custom, original, custom pickup, original pickup, muscle, street rod, convertible, “Best of” every decade from the ‘30s to 2000 and above, Best Custom Paint, Best Interior, Best Foreign, Best in Progress, and, of course, Best in Show.
Motorcycles have four categories: custom, stock, Best Paint and Best in Show. Boat categories include: Best Antique Boat and Best Classic Boat.
Trophies will be given in all categories, including those with “best” in the title and in the three new categories. Also awarded will be a Judge’s Choice, chosen by the different business sponsors.
Major sponsors for this year’s event are: Consumer’s Power Inc., Williamette Valley Vineyards, and Santiam Towing & Recovery (STR). Other businesses sponsor the Cruz-In, which raises funds for the annual Fireworks Over the Lake show each July, and to promote business and tourism at Detroit, Fowler said.
The family-friendly show has music throughout the day by Shake Down, a retro band from Salem, he added.
“Come and see the cars, and explore Detroit Lake a little,” Fowler invited. Further details and registration forms are online at www.detroitlakeoregon.org. Send forms and $10 entry fee payable by check or money order to DLRABA, P.O. Box 574, Detroit, OR 97342.
For information, call Fowler at 541-480-8676.
