The inaugural South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (SSCVA) Car Show brought a lot of color and chrome to Fair Oaks Farms on Thursday night. People from all over the region brought out their hot rods, their classics, their mean machines, their antique autos, and other vehicles that went vroom and popped the hoods show off their hard work to the other car lovers.
It was a gorgeous day to be outside. The sunlight gleamed on the shiny paint and the freshly buffed auto bodies that lined the parking lot of Fair Oaks Farms.
Speros Batistatos, FCDME, President and CEO of the SSCVA smiled broadly as he watched car after car cruise into the crowded lot. He and his team at the SSCVA put a lot of hard work into the car show and were glad to see it come together so nicely.
"Today is a perfect day," Batistatos said. "Looks like we have a few hundred cars out here already so it's going to be a great time. On top of the car show we have Janine Stange performing tonight as well as some of the Colts Cheerlearders so we have a lot of great stuff planned for everyone."
The "National Anthem Girl" Janine Stange performed at the event making Indiana is her 40th state in which she performed the National Anthem. Her performance along with a live DJ, food vendors, Fair Oaks Farms attractions, and awards given out during the car show, there was no shortage of activities to entertain the masses.
For the Car show contest there were 14 classes with five best of class awards in each class. Specialty awards were also given out which brought the total to 90 awards. The awards include Best of Class (Top 5), Best of Show, People's Choice, Most Patriotic, Club Participation, Best Ford, Best GM, Best Mopar, Best Paint, and Best Custom.
"We have spent over two months planning this," Amy Van Soust, Communications Coordinator at SSCVA said. "I organized the car show with the help from my co-workers. This is very exciting. It's my first time planning a car show and I'm very pleased to see all these cars coming in."
So many cars were parked at Fair Oaks Farms that day to be part of this great car show. Spectators roamed through the lanes, admiring the handiwork on all of the vehicles. Some stopped at the different vendors that were set up around the perimeters of the lot, and other just shot the breeze. To get in to the car show, everyone had the choice of paying a $2 donation or donating a canned good. all proceeds benefited the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. For each $2 donation or one canned good, a raffle ticket was given. Sweet prizes were available from the raffle drawing and many people purchased multiple tickets.
The night was finished out with a grand fireworks display that was put on by Krazy Kaplans. It was a wonderful car show and we hope to see the same great event come from the SSCVA next year!
Clck here to see more photos from the car show!
Sponsors for the South Shore Regional Car Show: Schepel Buick, GMC, Cadillac; SSCVA; State Farm Doug Long; The City of Crown Point; Fieldhouse Ford Sales; Advanced Auto Parts Demontte; Snyder's Auto; The Times; Jonkman Garage, Inc.; Q97.7 Classic Rock.