Car show nationals bring in 470 vehicles to Mariner's Village

 A 1973 Chevrolet heads across the Carlyle Lake Dam on the way to Mariner's Village for the Cruz-In The Dam car show nationals on Friday, Aug. 14. Photo by Matt Wilson   Car enthusiasts battled through the heat to make the 34th annual Cruz-In The Dam car show nationals at Mariner's Village at Carlyle Lake another successful event.
    Organizer Brad Jones said there were 470 vehicles on display during the event on Friday, Aug. 14. Temperatures were near triple digits throughout the day, and it remained the same during the nationals, which ran from 4 to 9 p.m.
    "It was hot, but the show went as well as the other 33 shows," Jones said. "We had great support from the community and great attendance despite the heat."
    Jones said they had been blessed with good weather for the previous three car show nationals, but Friday was probably one of the hottest car show nationals they have ever had. He hopes to get back on the trend of good weather next year.
   Jones said they handed out 470 of the 500 available dash plaques.
    Vehicles met at Carl's 4-Wheel Drive and Performance Center in Bartelso at 4:30 p.m. A police escort kept the vehicles together as they entered Carlyle. The vehicles cruised across the Carlyle Dam at around 5 p.m. before making their way into Mariner's Village.
    The show ended with a second cruise across the dam at 9:30 p.m.
   "This is just a very unique event and it has to be one of the biggest one-day cruise-ins in Illinois," Jones said. "We had a lot of different types of vehicles and we were able to sell a lot of shirts."
    Some of the speciality vehicles they hoped to have on the grounds on Friday were unable to make it because of the heat.
    Race cars, four-wheel drive trucks, and a lot of classic cars were among the vehicles at Mariner's Village.
    Mudbone was supposed to give a live musical performance during the show, but he was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. Organizers instead brought in comedian and musician Stumpy Joe.
    "He was a character and did a really good job," Jones said.
    This year's show is dedicated to all responders and veterans.
    They keep the event family oriented. There were bounce houses, balloons and face painting for the kids. A booth specializing in all of the new squishy toys for the kids was on site.
    There were a record number of attendance prizes. A huge raffle and 50/50 drawing were held during the show. The winner of the 50/50 drawing gave the winnings back to the Clinton County Humane Society. The Clinton County Car Club presented the humane society with a $500 check.
    Next year's Cruz-In the Dam car show nationals will be on Aug. 13. Jones said there will be a few minor changes for next year's show.