2024 ALR Car, Truck, and Bike Show
Dodged the storms, had fun, and raised money for a good cause
For most of the past week I have been sick in bed trying to get over a particularly nasty bout with the flu. Truth be told, I simply slept through most of the last seventy hours. As a result, it was delightful to get out of the house for the annual American Legion Riders Chapter 202 car, truck, and bike show. Although this event has been held for the past several years, it was my first ever opportunity to participate.
Originally, I had volunteered to work the registration table, but after being sick for so long, I decided that it would be safer for everyone if I had a solitary outdoor job. Even though I had probably long passed the contagious stage, I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. My job for the morning was directing traffic. Except for a few moments of drizzle where I had to pull my Frogg Toggs out of the saddle bags, it was a great morning and I enjoyed getting to greet all the participants as they arrived.
Fortunately, the predicted storms held off and we had a pretty decent turnout. There were competitions for motorcycles, trikes, jeeps, trucks, and cars. The winners for each category were determined by the spectators who put donations to the American Legion Legacy Scholarship in coffee cans in front of each vehicle.
I had two particular favorites:
The first was a three year old who proudly placed her tiny red 1955 Chevrolet pedal car right next to her grandpa’s immaculately restored 1956 Chevrolet sedan. During the awards ceremony, first place was awarded to the girl while grandpa came in second place. She was so proud that her trophy was bigger than his.
The other favorite was a family of five who showed up in their Jeep Patriot as spectators. When they were told that there were no entries yet in the Jeep category they simply drove their unwashed vehicle right up to the show line and paid their entry fee. Although another actual show car eventually showed up, those kids went home with a second place trophy as a souvenir from the day mom and dad took them to the car show.
Besides the cars, we had a silent auction, vendors, raffles, and concessions. It was a great time and I was impressed by everyone who worked so hard to make the event come together. Huge thanks to the organizers, volunteers, spectators, and everyone who came out to share their vehicles with the world.
