Thumbnail photo: Last year’s Sea Cruise car show drew 298 participants to Crescent City. | Photo courtesy of the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce
Whether it purrs like a kitten or roars like a lion, Del Norte’s celebration of all things that go vroom starts its engines on Friday.
Roughly 85 people have signed up to flaunt their ride at the annual Sea Cruise car show this weekend, Cindy Vosburg, executive director of the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday. Between 250 and 300 cars are expected to fill Crescent City’s downtown on Friday and Beachfront Park on Saturday, she said.
“The early registrations are usually from out of the area,” Vosburg said, adding that last year, 298 cars were entered into Sea Cruise. “We’ve got somebody coming in from Colorado, folks coming from the Bay Area and somebody coming all the way up from San Diego. There’s a lot of Oregon — I believe I entered a couple from Portland and some towns up around the gorge.”
Now in its 35th year, Sea Cruise is a joint venture between the Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Knights Car Club. People can register their rides through 6 p.m. Friday at Chamber headquarters, 1080 Mason Mall, Suite 2 in Crescent City.
Activities on Friday will include the Show & Shine from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Downtown Crescent City with the sanctioned “sea cruise” to follow at 6 p.m. The Show & Shine and cruise will coincide with the Downtown Divas’ Friday Nights Downtown event at the Paragon Coffeehouse parking lot at 3rd and G streets.
On Saturday, contestants will be able to register their vehicles from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Beachfront Park. The car show will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with the loudest moment to be held at noon.
“Car show participants will fire up their engines and rev them all at once for two full minutes during the Rumble at Noon,” Vosburg said in a Sept. 23 press release. “Muscle cars, motorcycles, hot rods and vintage classics will come alive together, creating a roar that can be heard across Crescent City.”
After three-and-a-half decades, Sea Cruise continues to be highly successful, Vosburg said. It showcases more classes of vehicles than any other show in the region, she said, noting that there will be about 85 awards given out this year.
New this year will be a line dancing performance, and line dancing lessons for anyone who happens to be at the park between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Vosburg said.
Two things people may not realize, however, is that Sea Cruise is an important event for Del Norte’s economy — the car show is an end-of-summer boost that ensures local businesses get through the winter, Vosburg said.
It’s also an important fundraiser for the Northern Knights, she said.
“Fifty cents from every dollar generated from Sea Cruise goes back into youth sports and scholarships in Del Norte County,” Vosburg said. “(During) a typical year, it’s $16,000 to $18,000 go back to area youth.”
Sea Cruise is free for spectators. From 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Friday, vendors, food and music can be found at the Paragon Coffeehouse parking lot, courtesy of the Downtown Divas.
On Saturday, spectators can mosey through a sea of chrome from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Beachfront Park. The awards presentation will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday.
To register ahead of time for the car show, call (707) 464-3174.
