300+ Cars Registered for St. Ignace Show
Early Entries Coming in for 32nd Annual Auto Event Next Weekend
By Paul Gingras

This modified 1941 Lincoln Continental will be displayed at the 32nd Annual St. Ignace Car Show Saturday, June 30. It is owned by Richard and Karen Tobin of Miami, Florida, and Hessel.

The mechanical and aesthetic innovations of automotive celebrity Jack "Doc" Watson will highlight the 32nd Annual St. Ignace Car Show Thursday, June 28, through Saturday, June 30. Mr. Watson is this year's guest of honor.

Featured this year is an automotive sensation Mr. Watson created in the 1960s: a specialized Oldsmobile based on a Cutlass body, which he augmented with a larger-than-normal engine, a custom paint job, and a shifter produced by Hurst Performance. The Hurst/Oldsmobile vehicle "really stands out," said show organizer Ed Reavie, who called it a "cult car with a huge following."

Thirty to 40 vintage Hurst/Oldsmobiles from six states will join hundreds of other antique, custom, and collector cars lining State Street in St. Ignace during the event. Show admission is free of charge.

Beginning Thursday, the city will host a barrage of shiny, stylish, sometimes eccentric vehicles, and this year, the car show will be filmed by Dennis Gage. Host of the cable television show "My Classic Cars," Mr. Gage will immerse himself in collector models from the 1950s through 1980s, in addition to antique, classic, and muscle cars.

This 1955 Chevrolet Nomad, owned by Jim Western of Boyne City, will be featured at this year's show in St. Ignace.

Car Show includes a cruise through town Thursday evening, a parade Friday, and a free car exhibition Saturday.

The show is not expected to be as large as it was in its heyday, which Mr. Reavie called a "wave that St. Ignace rode to its fullest," but the numbers are looking good, he said. More than 300 registrations were complete Monday, June 18.

"We are hoping to match last year's numbers," he added. More than 900 vehicles filled the display area on State Street in 2006. This year, cars will be parked more tightly, creating space for the Hurst/Oldsmobiles, which will be gathered in front of the St. Ignace Marina.

In 2006, the car show featured television celebrities from the hit show "Happy Days," which depicted the 1950s, an era considered by many to be the golden age of classic cars.

This time, the show will honor someone from within the car world itself, Mr. Reavie said. He learned of Doc Watson via car magazines in the '70s.

"He is a gearhead all the way," Mr. Reavie said. Well regarded among car fans, Mr. Watson has been a supporter of the St. Ignace Car Show for 10 years.

Also well known among car collectors and race fans, Linda Vaughn will return to St. Ignace to take part in the show. She has traveled the world promoting Hurst shifters, and her endorsement draws attention to "everything with wheels," Mr. Reavie said.

The mechanical thunder begins Thursday at 7 p.m. in Kewadin Casino's parking lot. Registered vehicles will roll down Mackinac Trail, just north of St. Ignace, pass through downtown, take a turn down US-2, and return to the casino via I-75.

Kewadin's lot will become "a mini-car show," Mr. Reavie said. Following the cruise, the casino staff will vote for their favorite seven or eight vehicles and award trophies.

"The staff is getting really good," he said, noting the quality of their selections in recent years. The casino's participation also "gives participants another chance at winning something."

The 26th Annual "Down Memory Lane" parade will begin Friday at 7 p.m., proceed along State Street, and finish at Glen's Market on US-2.

Parade marshals Mark and Kathy Sposito of St. Ignace will lead the procession. This spring, the Spositos were named St. Ignace Ambassadors of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce for their work in promoting local events, and parade organizer Merv Wyse has designated them the parade's guests of honor.

This year's parade is dedicated to the memory of David Aldrich of Okemos, a longtime car show supporter who was killed in an accident in October 2006. One of Mr. Aldrich's convertibles once won Best of Show, Mr. Wyse added.

Dynamite the Clown of Reed City will again conduct his walking performances, and parade floats will be interspersed with collector cars. The 49th Field Regiment Pipe Band from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, will march, and the parade may include drumming by LaSalle High School's Saints of Steel band, one of St. Ignace Area School's musical groups.

This year, the district's music program will receive the proceeds of a raffle for a $17,000 engine donated by General Motors.

The 350-horsepower HO Deluxe is a very popular engine among car enthusiasts, Mr. Reavie said, noting that many enthusiasts install it in their favorite vehicles.

Five dollar tickets for the raffle are available through the school's Web site at http://stignace. eup.k12.mi.us, by clicking on "Departments" and then "Music." Tickets are also available through the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce. They will be sold at Kewadin Casino on cruise night, and they will be available at several marked tables during the parade and car exhibition. The winner need not be present to win. The engine will be delivered anywhere in the continental United States, free of charge, Mr. Reavie said.

General Motors' continued participation in the event "is a godsend for us," and the company's display tent is like the show's centerpiece, he added.