by Michelle Watson
It’s that time of year again when the streets of Clear Lake are filled with beautiful cars. The C.L.A.S.S. Car Club is hosting its 39th Summer Dance Cruise and Car Show on Aug. 4 and 5.
“We are looking forward to another outstanding year putting on this fun weekend,” said Dave Fritz, president of the C.L.A.S.S. Car Club. “The car club members and extra volunteers that are needed to put this size of a show on are tremendous.”
Fritz said that the club is expecting over 700 cars in the cruise Friday night and approximately 600 cars in the show on Saturday. All numbers are dependent upon the weather. Should rain enter the forecast, the cruise and show will go on rain or shine.
“We’ll do what we can,” said Fritz. “Of course we have concern for the valuable vehicles that will be on display, so we’ll make decisions as they come up. Last year our numbers were down due to the threat of rain, but we still had 400 cars in the show.”
Cars will begin gathering at the Clear Lake Bus Barn, 125 N. 20th St., on Friday afternoon, from 3-5 p.m. for the car cruise. The public can also view the cars at this time as they are lined up waiting for the cruise to begin. A D.J. and food are also part of the fun. The fee for the cruise is $10 per car and includes two tickets to the show at the Surf Ballroom following the cruise. The cruise leaves at 5 p.m. and proceeds around the lake, ending at the Surf Ballroom.
Flash Cadillac is the band that will be playing at the Surf on Friday from 7:45-midnight. Flash Cadillac is an American retro rock ’n roll band that is known for their appearance as the band, “Herby and the Heartbeats” in the 1973 film, American Graffiti. They were also featured in a 1975 episode of Happy Days as the band, “Johnny Fish & the Fins.” In 2012, Flash Cadillac was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
Cars will begin filling downtown Clear Lake at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. The public is invited to view the classic cars from noon-3 p.m. An awards presentation and door prizes will be distributed at 3 p.m. A free concert open to the public will be held from 6:30-10 p.m. at the bandshell in Clear Lake City Park.
The Hepperly Band will be the free entertainment Saturday night. The band is a three generation family band who has performed for decades. They play hit favorites of the past and present. The Hepperly Band is based out of Clear Lake.
“We look forward to meeting new friends and greeting old friends,” said Fritz. “There are a number of car clubs that have been coming for years, some from Omaha, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, S.D., and from all over Iowa. This year we are looking forward to welcoming 2-3 new clubs who heard about our show.”
