Inaugural Cruise-Ins a success

Wrapping up the inaugural run of the Eden Cruise-In, organizer Tim Lancaster said it was a learning process, but a great show nonetheless.

The Three Rivers Chapter of AACA organized this show with the goal of just getting people interested during this first year, Lancaster said.

“We wanted to get a snowball effect going and just get our name out there to let people know about it,” he said. “I think overall the entire run from May to October went very well – our biggest enemy was just the weather.”

Lancaster said the weather was a hindrance to some people wanting to travel from long distances, but that still didn’t stop people from coming out to show off their cars.

One important component of the Eden Cruise-In is helping three local charities. The organizations chosen by Three Rivers this year included the Snack Backpack Program at Rockingham County Schools, a scholarship for an auto tech student at Morehead High School and the county’s Relay for Life chapter. Lancaster said he wanted the event to help as many organizations and businesses as possible.

“We really want to keep the focus on why we’re doing this, and it’s all about charity,” he said. “In the coming months, we will be deciding on what proportions will go to which charities from the sales of t-shirts and other proceeds. We will also be getting our heads together and deciding on the applicants for the auto tech scholarship. That’s going to be a hard process.”

The group is working with Tri City Automotive to organize and receive ideas for charities.

The excitement is already stirring for next year’s cruise, according to Lancaster, who said many attendees enjoyed the involvement of local race teams and the Draper Speedway exhibit at the Eden Historical Museum that coincided directly with the cruise-in. Lancaster said they are hoping to do it even bigger and better for next year.

“We’re just there to educate, have fun and do things for the community with this cruise,” he said. “The special thing about this event is that we embrace any make and model of vehicle to attract our young crowds. We really want to embrace what brings us all together and hopefully expand next year.”

Lancaster said Three Rivers is always open to all ideas from businesses or individuals about how to make next year’s cruise more successful. He said the general format will remain the same, but he doesn’t know exactly what next year’s event will bring.