Cars, trucks and motorcycles will line the streets of downtown this Saturday during the first Great Gainesville Car show.
The free show will be from noon to about 3 p.m. on the streets outside the Hippodrome State Theatre to Bo Diddley Community Plaza, said Michael Cizek, who organized the show.
Cizek, 21, said he created the show for a group project in his sales management marketing class. The proceeds from the event will go toward Noah’s Endeavor, a local nonprofit that hosts activities and events for children with disabilities.
“We were trying to brainstorm, ‘How do we raise money for a nonprofit in a new and creative way?’” said Cizek, a UF marketing junior.
The car show was the solution they came up with, which Cizek said is the first of its kind in Gainesville.
The event has space for 175 vehicles, and registration for participants will occur from 10 a.m. to noon, he said. It will cost $20 to register a car or truck and $10 for a motorcycle.
“It’s something that isn’t being done yet, but car shows are fun for everybody, and it’s all for a great cause,” he said, adding that he hopes to raise about $2,000 for the nonprofit.
Members of the Gainesville Street Rods, a club that raises money for children with cancer, plan to attend the event, said Walter Bell, 72, who has been a member of the club for 14 years.
Bell said he plans on bringing a ’64 Ford Falcon Sprint to the show. His Sprint has a bench seat, one of only 3,683 that were made that way.
“At a young age, I started looking at cars and women,” Bell said. “Back in my early days, any young kid who got in a car was always intrigued with them because they got you some place.”
