Guest column: Strong support for car show

On Sept. 15, the River City Rodders in conjunction with Old Town Cape hosted their 36th Annual Car Show -- now known as the River Tales Classic. This was the seventh year for our show to be located in downtown Cape Girardeau, and the feedback that we continue to receive from participants and spectators regarding the downtown location is very positive. Not only were the streets full of people checking out the cool cars, but the shops and restaurants were busy as well.

After having less than ideal weather the past five years, Mother Nature was finally kind to us this year with perfect weather all weekend long. As a result, we had a record turnout, with more than 275 cars registered. We also saw an increase this year in the number of participants who drove longer distances and chose to spend the weekend in Cape Girardeau, which provides a nice boost to our local economy. We feel that downtown Cape Girardeau is a great venue for our show and we continue to look for ways to make it even better.

The River City Rodders and Old Town Cape would like to express our gratitude to all of our corporate sponsors for the financial assistance provided, with special thanks going to our three major sponsors: NAPA Auto Tire & Parts, EVTV Motor Werks and SoutheastHEALTH. Due to their support, we're able to offer free admission to the public and provide financial support each year to Toy Box, Women's Safe House and other local organizations.

We would like to extend special thanks to the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the Parks and Rec Department, the Convention and Visitors Bureau for the manpower and logistical assistance they provided and to the local media for helping us get the word out. Finally, we would like to thank all of the car owners and the spectators who attended our show this year. We encourage them to come back next year when we will once again host our car show on the second Sunday after Labor Day.

Danny Essner of Cape Girardeau is the car show chairman for the River City Rodders.