ASHLAND — Don’t expect to find an open parking spot Saturday along West Main Street in Ashland.
Not until 4 p.m. at least.
Why?
The 16th annual Downtown Dream Cruise and Car Show, set to run from noon to 3 p.m., will have cars, trucks and motorcycles on display. Better yet, all event proceeds go to Shop with a Cop, a local non-profit which organizes a Christmas shopping day with at-risk youth and local law enforcement — as well as supporting those relationships throughout the year.
“In 15 years, we have raised $250,000 for Shop with a Cop, and by ‘we’ I mean you; if you are a supporter, sponsor, car show registrant or person who has dropped money in our jar, thank you. You are helping our kids so much. Your money stays here in Ashland, going straight back into our community,” Ashland Main Street posted on its Facebook page Friday.
Registration will run Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon and is by donation. Two walk-up registration locations will be available — one at Corner Park on the corner of Main Street and Claremont Avenue and the other at the corner of Main and Center streets.
Sandra Tunnell, executive director of Ashland Main Street, said the event averages about 700 participating vehicles per year.
“Monte Bowman, Ed Stackhouse and Ken Heyl came to (then) Mayor Glen Stewart’s office and asked why we never had a downtown car show and Mayor Stewart said, ‘No one ever asked.’ So we did,” Tunnell said Friday.
“We expected 50 cars the first year and had 200, and we have grown every year, both in support of Shop with a Cop (every year we have given them more money) and in attendance.”
Event organizers have issued reminders that no pre-registration is available for this event and urge planned participants to be vigilant and cautious of scammers seeking money related to the show.
“We have had a ton of scammers post on our site trying to get money from our cruisers and vendors through pre-registration. We try to keep up with reporting, blocking (and) deleting these post(s). Last night alone we reported 8 scammers. Show day registration only means you register at the show, not before. We do this for everyone’s protection,” event organizers wrote July 7 in a post via the show’s Facebook page.
Vehicles must be registered to be considered for awards, which will be presented throughout the show. Door prizes, a 50/50 drawing and 400 dash plaques will also be included in the festivities.
A variety of food trucks will also be on site, including Puglisi Concessions, Here’s the Scoop/Papa O’s, Looney Lemon, Dine & Dash Mobile Kitchen Food Truck/D&D Catering and More, Stoops Southwest Food and Marketside Grill, according to event organizers.
Attendees can watch participating vehicles in motion during the Dream Cruise, which will roll down West Main Street at 2 p.m.
The cruise will continue from West Main to Broad Street. It will head west on Smith Road, north on Baney Road, southeast on Sandusky Street and loop back to West Main using West Fourth and Union streets.
Any vehicles remaining along West Main Street or 2nd Street (overflow) must be moved or parked legally by 3 p.m.
