Start your engines and open up that wallet: The 25th Annual Last Cruise Car and Motorcycle Show is rolling back to State College this weekend.
Last Cruise is a two-part car show that spans the entire day, and all proceeds benefit the Centre County Youth Services Bureau.
The first half of the Last Cruise show is held at the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg. Almost 300 cars will be on display throughout the morning and afternoon of the show this Saturday, Bob Hufnagel said.
"I'm a big-time car guy," Hufnagel, Class of 1976, said. "I consider cars to be works of art as much as anything else."
Fans of classic and unique cars will be able to tour the show on Saturday and admire the different vehicles on display. All the cars are sorted into one of five categories, including stock or original cars from 1900 to 1959, rod and custom cars, and vehicles of special interest.
A panel of judges scores each car during the show, and the winner in each category receives $250, Centre County Youth Services Bureau Director of Development Jennifer Daniels said.
The idea for the Last Cruise started not as a car show, but as a way to enjoy driving around College Avenue and Beaver Avenue for the last time, Last Cruise Best of the Best committee co-chairman Paul Newfeld said.
"It started 25 years ago when the borough passed an ordinance to ban cruising around town," he said .
With the ban on cruising taking effect on a Monday, a local radio station urged listeners to go out and cruise around State College Sunday night. The response was so big that the next year a car show was created for the event, Newfeld said.
While the beginning of the show is an actual judged event, the second half of the Last Cruise Car Show pays homage to the cruising origins.
"While some people are cruising, there's a car show at the same time," Newfeld said.
After the show in Boalsburg, College and Beaver Avenue will be crowded between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. with all types of cars from the show cruising the streets, Hufnagel said.
And car fans can still attend the Best of the Best car show on the 200 block of Allen Street, he said.
The Best of the Best event consists of 50 hand-picked cars on display in downtown State College. Interacting with people who wouldn't normally attend a car show is one of the benefits of the Best of the Best event at Last Cruise, Hufnagel said.
"It's not so much about cars -- it's about talking to people," Hufnagel said. "They're wandering around town and they get sucked in."
But Last Cruise isn't just a car show -- the event is also a charity fundraiser for the Centre County Youth Services Bureau, Daniels said.
The Youth Services Bureau is a non-profit agency that provides programming and support for children and families in Centre County. The funds raised by the car show are put toward a multitude of community outreach programs that benefit families and individuals, from children to 21-year-old adults, Daniels said.
The Last Cruise Car Show is one of four special events run by the Youth Services Bureau each year. The event is special because collector car fans -- and everyone else -- can enjoy the show, Daniels said.
"It's a warm, welcome show that people can come to," Daniels said. "It's just a really great family day."
For some residents of State College, Last Cruise is more than just a car show.
"I think this is an especially important charity for State College," Hufnagel said.
Hufnagel said he is displaying two cars in Saturday's show, but stressed the important work the Youth Service Bureau does for the local area in helping runaway teens and single-parent families.
"Sometimes teens fall into the cracks -- there's no support system for them," Hufnagel said.
The atmosphere of car shows like Last Cruise is an important part of the American culture and experience, but Last Cruise is special in a different way, Hufnagel said.
"The whole event is designed to be family-friendly," Hufnagel said. "And every penny goes to the kids."
