May 2005 Huge Success $20,000

Huge success is the only words that can describe the 2nd annual Minden Cruisin’ For A Cure for St. Jude Car Show! Schelley Brown, the show promoter said that the response was overwhelming! At 7:00 AM cars were already rolling down the streets of Minden, La. and they were all headed to the Minden Coca-Cola Bottling Company on Pine Street. Eighteen wheelers loaded with show cars were lining Pine Street as other cars were unloaded at the fair grounds. With a car count of close to three hundred and cars of every era being represented. Attendance of an astounding number of around 4,000 people from a six state region attended the event that raised an estimated $20,000 plus for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
National car magazine editor Larry Crain told Brown that he had been to a lot of shows this year and none compared to the size or quality of the show held in Minden. With such great attractions as an Orange County Chopper, Carroll Shelby Mustangs, and a Dale Earnhardt Sr. NASCAR the reason is easy to see!
The car show brought in over $20,000 but the continued revenue from the Stanton Haynes commemorative 11x14 print will bring in an estimated $70,000 to be added to the car show total for the year. Prints will be available at Minden Building and Loan soon and also from Schelley Brown. The response to the prints is amazing and they have already been mailed to several states. The http://www.mindencruisinforacure.com/ web site will be updated soon to include information on how to purchase a print.
The 11:00 AM opening ceremonies included an opening prayer by Tina Haynes mother of Stanton Haynes. The crowd listened as several St. Jude families told their stories of what St. Jude means to them. This started the day off right and set the mission for the day to raise a lot of money for cancer research.
At noon the crowd came to a standstill as the King of Rock-n-Roll made his come-back appearance in Minden. Elvis made his way to the stage in his 1958 black Cadillac escorted by his entourage. After a spine tingling performance by Mike Spillers aka Elvis a look back to the 1950’s was seen by everyone as the poodle skirts and greasers paraded across the stage. This was followed by hula-hoop and the every popular fan belt toss. Myra Hasty of Unique Performance was the best with the fan belts and she probably gets a lot of practice at the shop in Texas with the Shelby Mustangs.
The Bayou Majic Band along with Mark Wise and his Big Dawgg Music set the mood for the day with that old time rock-n-roll. Doug Olson of the Ark-La-Tex Antique and Classic Car Association kept folks guessing with a dollar a try Parts Guessing contest with his old car parts tent. River Cities Corvette Club and Corvettes of Northeast Louisiana made a huge showing of Corvettes. Over 20 car clubs were represented from all over the country to make this one of the biggest events in the history of Minden. This show not only helps St. Jude but also the city of Minden, with over 50 of the car owners staying in staying in local motels and hotels plus purchasing food and gas in Webster parish.
The weather was great right up until the very end with only a 10 minute rain to dampen the spirit. The show wrapped up after the awards were given out around 4:30 but many are already planning their trip to Minden for next year. The date has not been set yet but plans for next years show are already in the works said promoter Schelley Brown. “I already have some commitments from some big venue cars to make an appearance”, she stated.
If you missed it this year you missed out. But you do still have a chance to make a difference with your purchase of the limited edition print by Chris Broussard. As Danny Thomas said, “Let no child die before his time.” With your help maybe one day that dream will come true! If you would like to purchase this limited edition “Minden Cruisin For A Cure for St. Jude” print ,please contact Schelley Brown at iluvoldcars@yahoo.com or 318-371-2913 or 318-423-0192.