OKC Car Shows Rock!

Even if you live in a small town, odds are there are some local car shows nearby. While they may not be the biggest car show in the world, or even among the top national shows, local car shows offer a lot of entertainment bang for the buck. Let’s look at several reasons you should hit a local car show this year.

It’s your community.

Small events attract participants from the surrounding community. These could be your neighbors and acquaintances that you never knew had a sweet rat rod Buick Eight. This is a chance to get to know people in the community on a real level, not in the digital world. At small shows, owners hang around, and are willing to answer every question you could ask about paint color, cam selection, or suspension modifications. You might even find a car club participating, one that you had never heard of. Car clubs do not have the best advertising budgets, so show participation is the main way they get the word out. You might just find that classic Mustang club you have been looking for.

There’s a lot to do.

Even small shows are more than just parked cars. There are usually a variety of things to do at car shows in order to attract a wider audience. Events can include a burnout competition, poker run, raffles, door prizes and auctions. There are usually food trucks offering outstanding but unhealthy food, DJs playing music of dubious quality, and sometimes even a kid’s zone where they can race toy cars for prizes or receive a complimentary gift bag. Sometimes the shows involve the viewers by letting them pick the “people’s choice” winner. You can’t vote if you don’t attend.

Support the cause.

Finally, car shows are a fun way to support the community, or important cause they are supporting. Many car shows benefit the community by donating the participation fee to a local cause. Common causes are breast cancer and multiple sclerosis research, veterans organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project, and local Shriners chapters. Of course, like all charities, the percentage of the entry fee goes to the charity, while the rest is eaten up by advertising and organizing costs. However, some small shows state that they donate 100% of the money raised towards the cause, so if you have a spouse or friend not interested in cars, you can trick them into going by supporting a great cause. You just might make a gearhead out of them yet.