By JORDAN MCLEMORE, Staff Reporter
The Big Cruise and Car Show took place in Alva Sept. 16 through the 18 for its Sweet Sixteen Celebration.
This free, three day event featured a free cookout, two different car cruises through downtown, burnout contests and much more.
This year’s main event was the Four Street Outlaw’s from the TV show, “The Street Outlaw’s.” The car showed featured a number of different events that people of all ages could participate in.
“This was my first year as the co-coordinator, along with David Ingraham,” Joe Phillips said. “It is the largest weekend in Alva, arguably along with the Northwestern Rodeo.”
The Big Cruise and Car Show has turned into something Alva community members have come to love and look forward to during the year. The car show has impacted the community by bringing in classic cars to town, which draws people from all over the state to Alva to view them. The car show also brings in revenue, that otherwise, would not be there.
The annual car show was established 16 years ago. However, it had a rocky start. Founding R.A.C.E. (Racing and Cruising Enthusiasts) members Mike Dunker, Larry Smith, Norville Ritter and Myron Bradt decided that Alva should have a really great car show and began rolling around ideas to make this dream a reality.
Alva restaurant manager, Jim Clemons, organized the first of what would become an annual Alva tradition. His plan included a $25 registration fee and a $5 spectator fee. It was open to all classes interested in participating. The event was to be held at the VFW Supper Club on the Woods County Fairgrounds in June of 1999, with a number of residents expressing interest and making the plans to attend.
However, Mother Nature made a surprise appearance, bringing high winds and tornado movement to Alva and surrounding area the night before the show. As a result of the storms passing through, attendance was limited, with 18 cars in all. From this experience, the Alva Big Cruise and Car Show was born. More information about the history of the car show and the years leading up to the Sweet Sixteen Celebration can be found online at www.bigcruiseandcarshow.com.
Financially assisted by donations from the Tourism Tax revenues and local community support, the Inaugural Alva Big Cruise and Car Show was launched on the first weekend following Labor Day in September of 2001. It was free to the public, free to participants and an instant success with 62 cars signed up.
The burnout contest was originally held in the V.A.P. parking lot, on the south side of town, different from the downtown space that everything is held at now.
“Several sponsors in Alva and surrounding towns have been so generous with helping including this year’s Main sponsor, Banc Central. Without the city of Alva and the Motel Tax, we would not be able to have this event,” Phillips said.
There were several food trucks available to the public, along with two free meals served to the public. The Big Cruise and Car Show has been noted as the largest, free, classic car show open to the public in the state of Oklahoma. They also gave away tickets for the NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway in November, along with various other prizes.