23rd annual Court Street Cruise set for Saturday, Aug. 5

The 23rd annual Court Street Cruise, hosted by the Court Street Cruisers, is set to take place Saturday, Aug. 5 at City Park in Weiser. 

 Featuring a wide array of classic rolling steel, the event is free to the public and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 Cost is $10 for those wishing to enter a car in the show, which is open to all makes and models, some of them dating back to the 1920s. Although most entries qualify as classics, it’s not a requirement, so don’t be shy about showing off your Lamborghini.

 Court Street Cruise t-shirts are available for $20.

 The Knights of Columbus will be serving breakfast and lunch, and there will be live music provided by the “River Brothers Band.”

 Titles for Cruiser’s Choice, People’s Choice, and Rodder’s Choice will be awarded, with winning cars featured on the group’s official t-shirt next year.

 Following the show, participants are encouraged to join the “Drag the Gut” cruise, the parade of cars making a police-escorted loop through town. Car owners can enter a drawing for a chance to win one of four $50 prizes.

 Proceeds support a $1,000 tech/automotive scholarship to be awarded to a Weiser High School graduating senior.

 “There is always a wide range of cars and it’s always fun to see because there are some awfully nice cars out there that people have taken care of and restored,” said Court Street Cruiser President, Jerry King, who owns a 2003 50th anniversary Corvette. 

 “It has the special anniversary red paint job,” said King, a retired Weiser Middle School teacher. “It has a six-speed manual and has 350 horsepower and a claimed top speed of 175 miles per hour, but if you use your head, you can get 28 miles to the gallon – but nobody talks about mileage because that’s not cool.”

 King, who will unfortunately be out of town the weekend of the event, anticipates at least two ’56 Chevys participating, one owned by Rick Goul, and another owned by Jane Rast. Both are Court Street Cruiser members.

 Goul’s ’56 was bought right here in Weiser, according to King.

 “He has the bill of sale in the glove compartment,” he said. “His parents bought it at Chamberlin’s, I think.”

 Another member, Kenny Baker, plans to bring his cherry 1965 Dodge Dart, which he bought for son, J.D., in 1994.

 “There was an elderly lady that lived here in Weiser, across from Pioneer School, and she always took that car to the Co-op where my son worked as a grease boy; she had been trying to sell it and J.D. always liked it,” Baker explained. “One day she asked him, ‘Would you like to own that car?’” She had been trying to sell it and was asking a lot for it at the time, but we went over to her house and cut a reasonable deal and J.D. got his first car.”

 The yellow Dart has since come back into Baker’s possession. It is almost all original, down to the hubcaps and Slant-Six motor.

 “It’s been repainted, and I put new carpet in it,” he said. “It originally had a one-barrel Carter carburetor, but I have a two-barrel Holley on it now, and dual exhaust.”

 The Court Street Cruisers meet the first Thursday of every month. Members include Brad and Bev Attebery, Kenny and Deb Baker, Liz Mowrey and Rick Goul, Ken and Jana Hill (vice president), Dennis and DeLayne Keith, Jerry and Julie King, Virgil and Marla Leedy, Doug Karel, and Jane Rast.