Spectators check out an old pickup truck at the 2019 Sea Cruise Car Show. | File photo: Jessica C. Andrews

People still have time to register a hot rod, low rider, Corvette, Mustang or muscle car at this year’s Sea Cruise.

The 31st annual classic car extravaganza starts on Friday with the Show & Shine in Downtown Crescent City and a sanctioned car cruise. The fun continues on Saturday when all the classic cars crowd the grass at Beachfront Park.

Cindy Vosburg, executive director with the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce says she expects between 300 and 320 vehicles to compete for 105 trophies in classes ranging from modified and stock cars and trucks to rat rods, RVs and semis.

People can enter their vehicles in the show show through 10 a.m. Saturday with judging to take place until noon. The awards ceremony will start at about 3 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s going to be a fabulous weekend,” Vosburg told the Wild Rivers Outpost. “We’re getting lots of registrations and we figured out how to control traffic with the  Front Street construction. Everything seems to be going pretty smooth.”

For many years, the chamber has hosted Sea Cruise with the Northern Knights Car Club. It’s Crescent City’s last big community celebration before the winter sets in and the Northern Knights has donated the proceeds toward youth scholarships and other programs over the years.

The car show also has a plethora of sponsors, including local businesses that have donated raffle prizes. This year’s three main sponsors are Lucky 7 Casino, Lisa McKeown State Farm Insurance and Elk Valley Casino.

This year, with traffic delays on U.S. 199 due to the aftermath of the Smith River Complex wildfires, Vosburg said she’s spoken to people who have arrived in town early to make sure they make it to the Show & Shine.

Vosburg pointed out that Sea Cruise helps fill local restaurants, lodging and boost retail sales. So far, people registered about 110 cars, she said.

On Friday, in addition to giving spectators a sneak peek at the cars that’ll be vying for trophies the following day, the club will hold a cruise for those that have registered. According to Vosburg, the starts on 3rd Street to K Street wends its way down K Street to 5th before looping around to 3rd Street again via F Street

“In years past they’ve done a couple loops and then they would peel off and go down to Pebble Beach and out to Washington Boulevard and back around,” Vosburg said. “One of the new things this year that we haven’t had before, which is going to be fun, is valve cover racing.”

A common sight at car shows, valve cover racing involves constructing a vehicle out of the valve cover from a car engine. The vehicles are placed at the top of an incline, released at the same time and the first vehicle to cross the finish line at the bottom wins the race.

“They’re going to be setting up a track,” Vosburg said.

On Saturday, late registrants will have to head to the Kid Town parking lot at Beachfront Park first before finding their place within the park itself. Because of the construction on Front Street, roads will still be open so people can use the detour. Plenty of volunteers will direct traffic, Vosburg said.

For more information about registering for Sea Cruise, click here.

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