Classic cars to cruise Oregon City's Main Street for Sept. 19 fundraiser

Classic car owners will be revving their engines and getting ready to rumble, as 400 cars return to Oregon City’s Main Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19.

This marks the sixth year for the event that started when a group of business owners in Oregon City brainstormed ideas about how to promote the downtown area, said Tom Busch, owner of Busch Furniture, one of the car show’s sponsors.

It has turned into a big hit, and is now “one day of nothing but fun,” he added.

The car show does have a serious purpose. It’s a fundraiser for Trick ‘n Racy Cars, a nonprofit organization that raises money for a host of local charities. The money comes from registration fees and the selling of raffle tickets, Busch said.

Staging the cars

Unlike some car shows, this one does not feature a parade of cars circling the block. Instead, “Trick ‘n Racy members guide the cars into diagonal parking places on Main Street. We close Main Street and side streets and some of our business owners let us park the cars in lots,” Busch said.

For him, the best part of the event is watching people looking at cars, having a good time and smiling, he said, noting that area restaurants often have specials to tie in with the car show.

“The first year we did this, I needed to wear a bib, since I was drooling over the cars,” Busch said.

One year a man told Busch that he was showing a restored 1929 Model A Ford that previously had belonged to Busch’s father. Last year a Nomad club arrived with 15 Nomads, a sporty, two-door station wagon made by General Motors from 1955 to 1957.

An event everyone looks forward to that day is when one of the Trick ‘n Racy members revs up the engine of his old-fashioned dragster with the engine in the front.

“Every hour he fires up the engine and everybody stops and claps and whistles,” Busch said.

“If you have sensitive ears, you’ll need earplugs,” said Emily Busch, Tom Busch’s daughter and a fifth-generation family member who works in sales at the furniture store.

“As a joke,” her father added, “We said we should all start up our engines at the same time and see how many windows on Main Street would break.”

For Emily, the best part of the show is when it closes down for the evening and “everyone revs up their engines and kind of peels out” as they head off Main Street.

1966 Ford Mustang

Busch bought the car he will show at the event, a 1966 teal Ford Mustang, in 1969, after he graduated from Central Catholic High School.

“There used to be a Volvo dealership on McLoughlin, called Immer and Oswald, and I was driving by and spotted that Mustang. That was the car. We struck a deal for $1,000, and I’ve owned it ever since,” he said.

Recently he and his wife, Theresa, attended her high school reunion, and one of her friends asked her if “that was the same car you two dated in.”

He added, “This is a fair-weather car; it only goes out in the summer or on a nice day.”

If he could have any car, from any time period, what would it be?

“A 1963 split-window Corvette in red, or black or dark green. They only made them one year. I fell in love with one, but never had one,” Busch said.

Several weeks ago he heard a rumbling out on the street and saw an older man with silver hair behind the wheel of Busch’s dream car.

He went to Craigslist to price the Corvette, but only sighed, when asked how much the car would cost.

Busch attributes the popularity of classic cars to several factors.

“Growing up you saw cars you might one day like to own, and then some people grew up and bought them and then sold them, so there is nostalgia. But also, cars [from the past] had more distinction, you could identify them,” he said.

Classic cars are meant to be driven and shared and “touch something” in people’s hearts, he added.

“They’re also icebreakers,” his daughter said. “You can park them anywhere, and people gather around and want to talk about cars.”

811 Bike

A new exhibitor at the car show this year will be the 811 Bike, commissioned by One Call Concepts Inc., and built by Paul Jr. Design out of New York State. The 10-foot-long motorcycle travels around the country promoting safe digging and the 811 “Call Before You Dig” campaign.

The 811 Bike will be a big draw at the car show, said Karen Fitch, secretary of Trick ‘n Racy Cars, “because it has been on the ‘American Chopper’ TV show, and has a great following.”

She added that the motorcycle will be on display around the Liberty Plaza area. More information about the 811 Bike is available at occinc.com/about/bike.

Rev ‘em up!

What: Sixth annual classic car show on Main Street, presented by Busch Furniture and Red Barn Car Wash/Stein Oil.

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. An awards presentation will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Liberty Plaza, in downtown Oregon City.

Where: Cars will be parked on Main Street, which is closed for the event, and along side streets in downtown Oregon City.

Details: The show is hosted by The Downtown Oregon City Association and Trick ‘n Racy Cars. Every dollar raised during the event benefits local charities, including H.O.P.E., Meals on Wheels, Clackamas Women’s Shelter, The Child Abuse Center, Clackamas Community College automotive scholarship, Oregon City Senior Center, and the Downtown Oregon City Association.

Registration: There is a $20 fee per car entered; information and registration forms are available at tricknracycars.org and at Busch Furniture, 804 Main St., in Oregon City.