Upward of 150 cars will be a part of the car show for First Friday downtown Warsaw this week.
In keeping with Indiana’s bicentennial theme of “Decades of Change,” the upcoming First Friday theme will be “Cruisin’ into the ’80s,” according to Paula Bowman, First Friday coordinator.
“Basically, it’s the car show with The Sock Monkeys on center stage and all the vendors will be on the (courthouse) lawn,” she said, noting that there also will be a food court. “It should be really fun.”
She said The Sock Monkeys are excited about being at First Friday again. The band members are local and have been together a very long time, Bowman said.
The car show is a fundraiser for Baker Youth Club. The BYC also will have a large silent auction, with items that anyone can bid on. The auction will be on the courthouse square near the cannon.
While First Friday is 5 to 9 p.m., the 26th annual Cruisin’ Hoosiers car, truck and motorcycle show will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday. Car registration is from 4 to 6 p.m., with judging and silent auction from 4 to 7 p.m. The awards ceremony is at 8 p.m.
Entry fee is $12, and the first 125 entrants will receive a dash plaque. Prizes will be awarded to the top 30 pre-1988 cars, top 20 1989-to-present cars and the top eight motorcycles.
For more information on the car show, call 574-268-7570, fax 574-269-6220 or email pjenk@comcast.net.
First Friday is back in downtown Warsaw in August after organizing events along East Market Street in July. “We’re back down in our normal spot,” she said.
“We’d really appreciate all those who park on the street normally if they could find off-street parking. That would be great,” Bowman said.
Late this morning, she added the Columbia Street Jazz Group will be at Latte Lounge from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.
Coming up in September, the First Friday theme will be “Meeting the Millenium.” It is a fundraiser for Serenity House.
The Porsche club will be downtown, and entertainer Todd Herendeen will be on center stage. He does impersonations of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and several others. She said Serenity House has had him before at their fundraisers.
“It’s kind of a decade-driven show as well. Everything from pop to rock and some country,” Bowman said.
The county’s bicentennial celebration will be Sept. 29 through Oct. 1.
“We’re still looking for milestone businesses so we can acknowledge them,” she said. “We’re looking for, if they would like to have a float in the parade, that would be lovely. It’s all going to be based on the decade so we’ll have banners that say 1910, 1920, 1930, that kind of fun thing. So everyone will be lined up according to decade.”
Bowman said the bicentennial committee is really excited to showcase how things have changed around the area over the years, whether that’s in vehicles, businesses or other areas, and to honor businesses that have been here for a very long time.
“There’s so many, it’s really great. Warsaw’s been good enough to them and they’ve been good enough to Warsaw to last this long, it’s awesome,” she said.
For the bicentennial parade, Bowman said they’re also looking for things like the oldest vehicles, car and tractor clubs, and all the past reigning queens and kings from past fairs.
“It doesn’t matter if you were fair queen, homecoming queen, cutie king and queen, Mermaid Festival, whatever, we’re inviting you to be in the parade. All the past royalty,” Bowman said.
The parade lineup is at 9 a.m., with the parade starting at 10 a.m. Oct. 1.
For the bicentennial events like the balloon glow and the concert, with headliner Jason Michael Carroll, Bowman said they’re still looking for sponsorships. If any organization can think of any fun event that they’d like to sponsor, like a contest or inflatable bounce house for example, Bowman said the committee would be “more than happy to hear from you.”
The First Friday theme in October will be “Artober: Calling all Artists” and is scheduled for Oct. 6. Artists can showcase and sell their wares.
November’s theme will be “Thanks for Giving.”
“We’re inviting all the not-for-profits to come out with their needs list and tell us what they’re all about. If anyone wants to get us their needs list beforehand and collect donations that night, that would be fine, too, so we can publicize the needs list,” Bowman explained.
Rounding out the year will be December’s First Friday, “Hometown Holly Days.”
