Last
fall Lou & I started exploring why there wasn’t a Saturday cruise in
Culpeper….there was one on Friday night but nothing on Sat. We began talking to the local hot rodders to
see what they thought about it and if they would support a cruise on Saturday
if someone set one up. We made sure
there wouldn’t be any heartburn with other clubs about having another cruise on
Saturday. The Orange County Cruisers of
Orange, VA (their monthly cruise is the third Sat)….the Good Times
Cruisers of Locust Grove, VA (their monthly cruise is the second Sat)
and the Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club of Fredericksburg, VA (their
monthly cruise is the first Sat) all agreed it would be a good idea
and said they would support it when they could.
We asked our group, Cruisin For Heroes, for leadership volunteers and
Jim H. agreed to help Lou forge the idea into a reality. Lou & Jim met with the owners of Bruster’s
to work out the details then secured the cooperation and active assistance of
the land owner of the whole complex.
They explained to all the adjoining business what was going to be
happening during the cruise and met with the local Police department to give
them a heads up on the event too. We
built a page on our website to advertise the event, http://www.cruisinforheroes.com/#!bruster's-cruise
. Then we designed flyers and convinced
our print sponsor, SpotsyBlue Printing Services, to make a few 1000 flyers for
us! We designed an acrylic trophy that
would reflect our mission for Fisher House Foundation and the uniqueness of our
group. Then another one of our sponsors,
Ed’s Awards & Engraving, took the idea and fashioned the acrylic trophies
that would be the Bruster’s Manager’s Choice monthly pick. There was a lot of stress and problem solving
for everyone over the winter making sure we hadn’t forgotten something. Lou & Jim had to line up a DJ to volunteer
their time to the event. Then the week
of the inaugural event on April 23, 2016….the weatherguessers were not
presenting us with good news. Friday the
22nd it rained most of the day….and the rain was to continue till
midday on the 23rd. This
would keep people from coming out but too much had been put in place to turn
back…. Thankfully, for the most part the
rain stopped around 1PM and most of the roads were dry by 2PM with partly sunny
blue skies calling us to cruise to Culpeper.
Some
of our group was onsite when we arrived in Culpeper around 3PM….then everything
went into a blurred crash mode for me till I came up for air to take pictures
around 5PM. Everyone helped to park
cars, erect the Fisher House canopy, help the DJ and generally try to accommodate
the cruisers as they began to show up.
Kim & Rick led a crew of the Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car
Club members to our event….a whole bunch of FC&MCC cruisers that drove 35
miles one way! Then Kim & Crystal volunteered
to run the 50/50 for us because we didn’t think to appoint someone for that
task and we really didn’t know how to do it….
Kim & Crystal do a superb job of running their 50/50 at their Friday
night cruise in Fredericksburg and they brought the same enthusiasm and purpose
to our cruise’s 50/50. They collected
$165….and later in the evening the winner gave their half back for Fisher House
Foundation! We made $90 for Fisher House
donations and we still have a % of the event’s business proceeds from Bruster’s
to receive….a good afternoon for The Fisher House Foundation. We also had the opportunity to explain to a
couple people what the Fisher House is and what they do for our Veterans and
their families….this is the most important long range thing we do at these
events….raise awareness about Fisher House.
We had
about 35 special vehicles visit the cruise which was ok for the first event. A lot of ice cream & hot dogs were
consumed. Andrew brought Jack the Host Dog to mingle
among the crowd….you had to be there. Mark
& Crystal won the Bruster’s Managers Choice with their red late model Dodge
Challenger. Also being the first event
we learned some things that will be changed for next month to make the
experience better for everyone. Please
check the pictures so you can enjoy the afternoon we had and if you’re not in
the pictures….you have a month to get ready….
May 28th….Culpeper Bruster’s….be there or be
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