2008 Lets Top Them All

Press release:
What: 5th Annual Minden Cruisin’ For A Cure May 3rd, 2008
When: May 3rd, 2008
Where: Minden, La. Fairgrounds 802 Goodwill Street
Time: 9:00-5:00
Cost: $5.00 Adults $3.00 Children under 12
Contact: Schelley Brown 318-423-0192 @ iluvoldcars@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.mindencruisinforacure.com/

NASCAR Simulator to be the highlight of the 5th annual

Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure Car Show!

Gentlemen and gentlewomen start your engines! The 5th annual 2008 St. Jude’s Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure open class car show is right around the corner. May 3rd, 2008 is the day for this annual event. This show is held in memory of little Stanton Haynes an

d so far has given $55,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The show has brought in cars from as far away as California and Florida and is one of the fastest growing shows in the south. This year 300 cars are expected with thousands of car enthusiasts from all over the Ark-La-Tex and beyond coming to participate and view the gleaming works of chrome and metal. The show has had so many cars registered in the past that this year more vehicle classes will be added. All of this and so much more will once again be held and the Webster Parish Fair Grounds located off Pine Street at 802 Goodwill Street in Minden, Louisiana.

This year the major highlight of the show will be a 43’ Coca-Cola Racing Team branded trailer with the “Coke Zero Racing Experience”, a virtual reality simulator equipped with five NASCAR driving stations featuring authentic seats, steering wheels, and gas and brake pedals set on a 3-axis motion simulator. Now you can feel what its like to crawl inside a NASCAR. This is trailer is equipped with a high- tech sound system so you will hear, see and feel all the sights and sounds of what an actual race is like. This is a rare opportunity to race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Drivers on an authentic virtual track!

This simulator exhibit is sponsored by Coca Cola Bottling Company of Minden, Inc. The Hunter family and the great folks at the 100 plus year old Coke Company in Minden always strive to help the annual car show to be a huge success. In past years they have sponsored authentic NASCAR’s for the show’s display. “This year tops them all with this special equipped 18-wheeler simulator truck!” “These simulators bring in thousands of people whenever they are set up at venues and we anticipate a huge crowd turning out for the opportunity to experience the thrill of NASCAR racing in a new way.” stated Schelley Brown car show organizer.

“The Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure car show is always held the weekend after the Pate Swap meet in Texas. This usually is the first weekend in May but does sometimes fall on the second weekend.” stated Brown. “I started this show because of my love of cars and wanting to give more to St. Jude but it has evolved over the years in to a love of not only cars but for the people that own the cars.

“I wanted to do something for St. Jude to go along with what Minden already does (Minden is the #1 volunteer community, giving more money per-capita than any other city) our money is added into the total of what Minden gives. The people that own these classic and collectable cars strive to contribute to worthy causes. Most of these causes are related to children such as the Louisiana Burn Camp for Children, homeless shelters, and toy drives are just a small part of what these car clubs get involved with. I have been involved with local car clubs and the Louisiana Car Council for many years and these folks are great! When you ask them to do something they do it. They show up and say put me to work! That is what it takes to put on something of this magnitude.”

This show is covered by several car enthusiasts’ magazines. This year’s show will have some old and new highlights. The limited edition Chris Broussard Car Show print will be on sale. You will see a special birthday performance of Minden’s own “ELVIS” Mr. Mike Spillers. Mike’s show will take place around 2 o’clock. Mike’s “Elvis” performance is always a crowd favorite and Minden is so fortunate to have someone as talented as Mike Spillers. The show will offer a special photography station where car owners can get custom pictures and posters of their pride and joy. Kerry Easley http://www.easleyfineart.com/ will be on hand to offer this added attraction for the show this year. Don’t forget to bring your appetites to the show. Food this year will also be something to look forward to with the addition of Gumbo Daddy’s catering on hand. They will have breakfast items for the early birds and lunch items to follow. Silent auction will be held again this year in the forestry building. Don’t forget the fun and games for the kids. The show always has something for everyone.
Web site is updated with the 2008 information
http://www.mindencruisinforacure.com/

Stanton Haynes and the Car Show Print

Stanton Haynes

Feb 14, 2001-Feb 13, 2005

Kristi RichiePress-Herald Staff

One day shy of his fourth birthday, Stanton Haynes lost his hard-fought battle with neuroblastoma. Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, Stanton left a life of cancer and went home safe in the arms of the Lord.“We were blessed to be his parents for the few years that we did,” Stanton’s mother Tina said. “We know he’s in a better place, and it’s going to be hard for us not to be selfish and hold on to that. He did things his way up until the very end and went very peacefully in the middle of the night.”The Haynes family is now back home in Minden after their extended stay at St. Jude with Stanton. Tina will post arrangements on the Web site, www.caringbridge.org, once they are finalized.“I want to thank the community for the support. Minden is incredible – that’s all we’ve heard the entire time we’ve been there at St. Jude,” Tina said. “I cannot believe what the town has done for St. Jude as well as us personally. The community that we live in is incredible.”Stanton was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma in January 2003 as Stage IV. He had been through six rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, a stem cell transplant, radiation and nine rounds of Accutane until finally classified as “no evidence of disease” until April 15, 2004.The disease returned, and Stanton and his family continued to battle until nearly two weeks ago when they received news that the cancer had spread throughout his entire body.Stanton spent his last days being made as comfortable as possible by the staff of St. Jude’s. When he was feeling well, he was able to play, but then he had his feeling not-so-well moments too.Last Wednesday was special as Stanton got a very special phone call. As he was unable to go on his Make-A-Wish trip, he was asked to wish for anything that might come to him – Dora, Mickey, Spiderman – but his answer was “Michael Waltrips,” the NASCAR driver he bonded with during a trip to North Carolina.“I want him to play race cars, and I will be 15 (Waltrip’s number), and he can be Jeff Gordon,” Stanton told his mother and nurses.Domino’s Pizza, a major advocate of Stanton, got word of Stanton’s wish, and within a couple of hours, Waltrip was on the phone. Waltrip did say only for Stanton would he be Jeff Gordon.Saturday was extremely tough as Stanton began to suffer from multi-organ failure. Then it was only a matter of hours before the little fighter took his last breath.Tina will continue to post on the Web site.“For everybody that I haven’t gotten to thank personally, I want to thank them for their support and their continued support over the next few weeks because this is going to be so difficult. And St. Jude up until the very end and then some was absolutely fabulous,” she said. “All I can say is thank you, and we’ve been very humbled by what Minden has done for us personally as well as for St. Jude.”

The Stanton Haynes Car Show Print

This original art work was painted by Minden artist Chris Broussard to help raise money for the 2nd annual Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure Car Show & Sock-Hop to be held May 14th, 2005. When Schelley Brown; the car show promoter, first mentioned it to Mrs. Broussard she hoped that Chris’s talent and love of children would inspire her to do this special painting. Without any hesitation, in less than one month she had created a beautiful tribute, to the car show, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Minden and also to Stanton Haynes a former St. Jude patient. Prints from this original painting will go on sale soon and also at the May 14th car show. Without Chris’s help and enormous talent, the amount of money given to St. Jude from the car show would be much less. This print will make a huge difference in the 2005 show as well as the 2006 auction.
Minden gives more money per-capita than any other city in the world. For over thirty years Minden has given to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It is the one thing that the people in Minden do best. In 2005, so far Minden has given over half-a-million dollars.
The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Minden is the perfect backdrop for any event. This plant has been in operation for over 100 years and owned by the Hunter family. This is one of last independently owned Coke facilities in the country. This year the Hunter family celebrates 100 years with the Coca-Cola franchise. This facility houses one of the most incredible coke and sports museums in the area. The history of Minden lies within these walls. Hunter’s have been giving to Minden for over 100 years. Without the graciousness of the Hunter Family this car show would not be possible.
St. Jude has a special place in the heart of Minden, because of the many families from our area that have to make that journey to the Memphis hospital for treatment for their children. One such child is depicted in this print. The small little boy holding the balloons is Stanton Haynes. The 2005 show is in Stanton’s memory. He touched so many lives in his few short years. Stanton Allen Haynes was born on February 14, 2001 to Tina and Jeff Haynes and older brother Hayden. On January 2, 2003, a mass was found in Stanton's abdomen. Neuroblastoma Stage IV was the diagnosis and the five-year survival rate was about 59 percent. During the time of January through September 2003, the Haynes family lived in Memphis while Stanton underwent six rounds of high dose chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumor, autologous stem cell transplant and 12 rounds of radiation. They went home with Stanton classified as "No Evidence of Disease". On April 15, 2004, the Haynes’s experienced the worst day of their lives. They were told the cancer was back and very aggressive. Stanton participated in a research study and the Haynes family found out first hand what the research that St. Jude's does is all about. Stanton in his short life did incredible things. He brought many together, from all over the world, thru his family’s faith. Stanton loved cars and with his older brother Hayden’s help were chosen to design a NASCAR for Domino’s and Michael Waltrip. This is just one of the ways that this tiny warrior inspired so many. February 13, 2005 one day short of his fourth birthday, Stanton left his pain and made his journey to heaven. His fourth birthday was spent racing his tricycle on streets of gold.
Thank you in advance for you purchase of this print. 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.

2007 New Location $55,000 So Far!

Wheels and Chrome

Means Lots of Money For St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

The 4th annual Minden Cruisin For A Cure For St. Jude was a huge success. The new location at the Minden Fairgrounds was a hit with the crowds. Schelley Brown the shows organizer and promoter stated, “We had lots of room and parking for everything.” We missed the nostalgia of the Coca-Cola Plant but we still had the antique replica Coca-Cola truck in the background as well as full support from the Hunter family with Coca-Cola of Minden.”
Unique Performance with the Chip Foose creations was on hand with the Foose Challenger valued at over $100,000. This car will be given away later this year by Good Guys you can register on line at the Good Guys web site. The Michael Waltrip NASCAR was also on display all these special show cars were big hits with the crowd.
An estimated crowd of 4000-4500 came to Minden from as far away as the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Alaska, and Florida. Brown stated, “We had people calling from all over the country. I think if we had not had the threat of bad weather earlier in the week the crowd would have been twice the size and we would have had over 350 cars.” This is the first time in the four years of this show it has not had weather issues. Many participants were new to this show and all commented on the fact that they would be back. This makes this show one of the fastest growing in the south. Car magazine coverage in Cruizin’ Style Magazine also is a big factor in the growth of the show.
Over two hundred cars of all makes and models started rolling in around 7 a.m. lining up on Goodwill street to enter the gates of the Minden fairgrounds. Volunteers arrived long before that to get everything prepared for all of the day’s activities. The highlight for everyone was the performance by Minden’s own “Elvis” aka Mike Spillers. A large crowd filled the show barn as Mike preformed a moving show (just as the real Elvis did in 1957 in Minden on the back of a flat bed trailer).
The final count is not in yet but an estimated amount of over $15,000 will be given to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Several St. Jude families from Minden were on hand to help folks remember the real reason for the show. Tourism Director Lynn Warnock Dorsey seemed to be pleased with the large turnout at this years show. Bringing people in from other areas is the main goal of tourism and that was achieved in a large way for the 4th annual Minden Cruisin’ For A Cure For St. Jude Car Show.
Brown commented, “Next years show is already in the works and will be bigger and better than ever. Without the help of the local car clubs this show would not be possible. This is a lot of work and you have to have lots of folks behind you to do something of this magnitude. The bigger the show the harder it is to handle without a lot of volunteer support.” Plans are already underway and anyone that would like to help as a volunteer is asked to contact Schelley Brown.

May 2006 If I Plan It, Plan On Rain!

May 8th, 2006---
They say in everyone’s life a little rain must fall. The annual Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure for St. Jude Car Show in Minden, La. has had its share of bad weather. Last year over 275 cars and 4000 people attended the show with the rain holding off until the end of the show. This year was pretty much a washout until around noon. The show promoter Schelley Brown said, “I was up all night watching the radar on the internet praying that we would miss the bad weather.” At 5:00 a.m. the rain and thunder were rolling into the Minden area. Opening the gates of the coke plant at 6:00 a.m., Brown said, she knew that it was going to be hard to reach any kind of goal when the weather man said 100% chance of strong storms and possible hail. At 8 a.m. we had a few cars show up but we were all just standing there wondering what we would do with all the silent auction items and all the t-shirts. The phone started ringing telling me what the radar was showing. These calls weren’t form local people they were from people in Jefferson, Texas and Arkansas that wanted to come to the show! Around 9 a.m. the rain started to slack up and the cars started to roll in. The 18-wheeler from Unique Performance with its expensive cargo of Chip Foose and Carroll Shelby cars opened up and rolled some amazing cars out for everyone to see. By 11:00 a.m. the show actually resembled last year with the people coming thru the gates and the cars lining up to register. When the engine fired up on the #6 Mark Martin Car the crowd cheered as if they were at a NASCAR race.
The cars were fewer in number but only due to the weather. Brown said she anticipated over 300 cars this year in fact she had 74 pre-registered. Anyone that goes to car shows knows that very few people pre-register. This means that if you have 74 pre-registered you can figure that you will have over 300 cars for the show. This is one of the fastest growing shows in the south and draws cars from a 300 mile radius. Brown said every year it just gets bigger and bigger. In fact it has gotten so big that she has decided that the show may have to be moved to the Minden Fair Grounds next year. Also a possible later date into the summer may be a possibility to try to keep the show DRY!
The antique and classic car folks showed what they were made of Saturday. These cars are normally not driven in bad weather or even possibilities of bad weather. Brown said that these folks come out to support the cause not to show the cars. Many came without there cars but showed up to help and to spend money at the silent auction. One of this years participants came all the way from San Diego, California. His award winning 1957 Chevy Nomad was one of the amazing cars on hand Saturday. This particular car is the cover car of the May issue of Cruisin’ Style Magazine. The Minden show continues to draw some top cars from all over the country and this year was no exception.
When it was all said and done Brown said she was pleased to report that she could at least send St. Jude a check for $10,000. This was not the $30,000 that she wanted to send but considering the weather she was excited to reach this amount. All we can do is look forward to next year and pray for NO RAIN! You can http://www.mindencruisinforacure.com/ or contact Schelley Brown at iluvoldcars@yahoo.com and 318-423-0192.

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.

May 2004 In Every Life A Little Rain Must Fall

May 1, 2004
Minden St. Jude Auction (www.mindenstjude.com)
St. Jude Cruisin’ For a Cure (www.mindencruisinforacure.com)
What: Cruisin’ for a Cure for Children Car Show & Sock-Hop
Where: Minden, La. Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Minden Inc. 412 Pine Street
Date: Saturday, May 1st, 2004

The Rain dampened the crowd but not their spirits! The first annual Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure was a huge success! The final totals aren’t in but it looks to be around the $10,000 mark! Rain or shine the Minden community and the Car Show folks showed what they were made of.
Show promoter Schelley Brown said, “At 5:00 A.M. the calls started coming with people asking “Are you still having the show?” Brown told them, “The show must go on rain or shine!”
“At 7:00 A.M. we had a driving rain but the cars started rolling in.” The Shelby Cars from Unique Performance were a sight to behold. The crowd was in awe, seeing the huge Carol Shelby rig pull up to the Coke Plant. These cars were a sight to see and the Mustang Clubs were out in force to view these works of steel. Next year we hope to have Unique Performance back with a special “Eleanor” motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers!

The ‘31 Ford Sedan that won 2nd in the X-Cup of the Great American Race made it all the way from Baton Rouge. The lady that owns this car drives it about 300 miles a week. She drove it in from Baton Rouge through rain and hail.

At 10:00 A.M. the cars were still coming in and so were the spectators. The gate sold out of St. Jude umbrellas several times during the day. The events that were scheduled for the day were delayed or changed up due to weather. The only thing that didn’t happen as planned was the Poker Run. This event would take the cars to 9 different spots in town. This was a disappointment for the people that were expecting to see the cars come through. Brown said she regretted not being able to get the people to participate in the run. Once the cars finally made it in they didn’t want to drive again in the rain and who could blame them.

The surprise of the day was to see Mike Spillers of Spillers Appliances aka “Elvis” along with the Bayou Majic Band. This Band did a fantastic job and the crowd loved it. Mike did such a believable job that many thought he was doing lip sync to Elvis CD’s but it was the real Mike singing. The Bayou Majic Band made the day an even greater event and kept the party going outside.

Lee Estabrook’s chili was a big treat with the rainy day. We actually ran out of the hamburgers and other food that were all donated by Wayne Avery and Jimmy Hall. The smell of good food drifted through the air and gave the day a real festival feel.

On the inside everyone had a great time looking over the silent auction items. If you missed this, you have to come next year. The Big room at the Coke Plant was piled high with some great items and the bidding got “Fast and Furious” (pun intended). At 4:00 we gave the “Gone in Sixty Seconds” call. When the Auction totals were counted we had raised over $ 3,500.
The sock-hop and the old Wurlitzer Juke Box were a big hit for young and old alike. We had a great Costume Contest with car hops on roller skates, 1920’s attire, lots and lots of poodle skirts and a miniature Elvis. The Hunter Museum was a huge hit with the crowd and even some Minden residents were amazed at the history that is preserved in the museum by the Hunter family. The guided tours by Mr. Carter Norman and Ben Hunter along with John Agan were a real treat for everyone that took a trip back down memory lane.

Brown said that, “Everyone had a great time in spite of the weather and raised a good bit of money for a great cause.” Brown is already gearing up with plans for next May, possibly the second weekend of the month next year. She said, “If we can raise $10,000 in the rain just think what we can do if the sun is shinning!”

Schelley Brown the show promoter said, “I would like to personally thank all the organizations, businesses, friends, car clubs, and magazine editors that came out. I would also like to thank all the people that helped with the advertising of this event, without them we wouldn’t have had the turnout that we had. I want to especially thank the Hunter family for being such a gracious host of such a huge event. I am left speechless and forever grateful for all the work and donations that went into making this first show a success in spite of all the obstacles we faced with the weather!”

Cruisin’ For A Cure
Dear Editor,
I would like to thank everyone that made the Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure for St Jude a success. I could not have done the show without all the wonderful people that donated their money, time, and resources to make this show possible and such a big success for a first year show.
I plan to make this an annual May event for Minden. With the crowd that we had in the pouring rain, I think this will be a huge event for us next year. The people that came in the rain to take up money, cook food, help with the auction, park the cars, help with the games, the judging, direct traffic, the entertainment, drive the shuttle, and to helping me to remember where and what I was suppose to do were amazing. This is what Minden is all about, people helping others in their time of need.
When I woke up on Saturday morning and the weather was so terrible I had my doubts. I knew a few hours after I got to the Coke Plant that the people would come out and support us, and boy did they come! The car clubs were wonderful and really did an unheard of thing by being out in that kind of weather with so many valuable vehicles. Without their support we wouldn’t have even had a show. I owe these friends a huge thank you for coming to Minden in a driving rain.
I hope one day we want have the show for the reason that we do now. Until that day comes, I know that the people in Minden and the surrounding area will be there. They will be helping and giving whatever they can. That is why I am proud to call Minden my home town!

Sincerely,
Schelley Brown
Minden Cruisin’ for a Cure show promoter
www.mindencruisinforacure.com