Hundreds of cars, trucks and motorcycles will line Locust Street in Columbia on Saturday, June 18, during Thunder on the River. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature a one-minute revving of engines at noon to simulate the sound of thunder. The festivities will be hosted by the Columbia Lions Club and will feature a car show, kids' activities, food and more.
Preregistration for the car show is due by Saturday, June 11, with limited same-day registration available at the event, said Paul Resch, vice president of the Columbia Lions Club. "We can have a maximum of 450 cars, and we're well on our way to that number," he stated, noting that the number of entrants is the largest since the Lions Club took over the car show in 2014.
"We have 85 trophies we'll be giving out, and with 450 cars, your odds are pretty good to win a trophy," Resch remarked. New this year, trophies will be awarded for fire chief's choice, police chief's choice and veterans' choice, and each trophy will be accompanied by a gift card. "We want to help our car owners with gas money they spent to bring their vehicle," Resch said, explaining that entrants come from central Pennsylvania as well as Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. "The cars are our entertainment. They're the draw for the day."
Along with the car show, a variety of kids' activities will be held in the parking garage at CHI St. Joseph's Health, 401 Locust St. Members of the Columbia Elks and Moose lodges will have games for children, and the Columbia Borough Police Department will give away Hot Wheels cars, which kids can race on a 5-foot track.
Food trucks will be on-site along with food stands from several nonprofit organizations, including the Columbia Boys Athletic Association (CBAA) and local churches. "Because we hold our event in downtown Columbia, we try to support our local small businesses," Resch commented.
The car show originated in 2005 when Barry Doutrich, who owned an auto service center, created Cruisin' Columbia. After he passed away, the Columbia Lions Club continued the show under the new name, Thunder on the River, Resch said.
Proceeds from the car show will benefit three local organizations: CBAA, the Glatfelter Memorial Field Trust and the Columbia Historic Preservation Society, which has earmarked its funds for restoration of the Zion Hill Cemetery.
Resch noted that the car show is always held on the Saturday before Father's Day, and he encourages families to attend. "It's a wonderful opportunity for fathers and sons and daughters to come out, look at the awesome cars together and enjoy the memories that cars, trucks and motorcycles bring us," he said. "A lot of these cars are projects that fathers and sons or daughters have worked on together, so you can hear some really great stories behind the cars."
For more information on Thunder on the River or to register a car, visit http://www.columbialions.org or search for "Thunder on the River" on Facebook.
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