Moonshine Cruiz-In aims for bigger, better 2010 event

If this year’s Moonshine Cruiz-In was a road, it would be longer, smoother, and filled with much more traffic.

“We’re going to give 110 percent to make this bigger and better,” the show’s promoter, Rakes Parrish, told community business owners at the February 11 planning meeting for the second annual show.

Parrish and the Towns County Tourism Board aim to solve the problems that plagued last year’s event, namely a poor sound system, parking troubles and too few food vendors.

Only two vendors were open to provide food for thousands of attendees.

“We were really understaffed last year,” Parrish said. “It was kind of a guessing game…we didn’t book nearly enough [food vendors] but we will this year.”

Although this year’s Cruz-In is scheduled for August 12-14, plans are already well underway to solve last year’s problems and attract even more people to the event.

“There are a lot of people who have not seen the neat history that this town has to offer,” Parrish said. “I know we had a lot of kinks to work out [last year] but I think we’ve got a better game plan this year.”

The 2010 show will be a three-day event, Parrish said, noting that he would like to see the Cruiz-In extend to a week in the future.

“Unfortunately, the more days we add the more it costs to do,” he said. “This event costs us a lot of money to put on.”

Parrish asked local businesses to chip in and support the Cruiz-In by purchasing one of several sponsorship packages that range from $100-$500. He said the money gathered from businesses will be used entirely for promotion.

Business owners who contribute will receive ads in a keepsake pocket guide to the event, Parrish said. Depending on the amount paid, some businesses will be announced by an emcee at the event and receive other perquisites.

Parrish also discussed giving attendees welcome bags that would come with coupons and ads for local businesses.

“This year I want to have a lot of mountain music going on for people; they love that,” he said.

Hilda Thomason, chairperson of the Towns County Tourism Association, suggested having a concert on the Saturday night of the event featuring bands Swingin’ Medallions, The Drifters and Clarence Carter.

Parrish said he’s also considering adding a Friday night parade to this year’s festivities.

Those involved would line-up at the fairgrounds at 6 p.m. and travel to the Hiawassee town square over a period of two hours.

“The people will love it,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for stores to be open late.”

Because more than 900 cars were featured in last year’s show, Parrish said a sign-up sheet would have to be made for the parade.

“We can’t even do a fraction of a thousand cars in a parade,” he said. “It would last forever.”

Thomason stressed the importance of local restaurants and shops to stay open late.

“Car people, on the majority, have plenty of money,” Parrish said. “They do have money and they will spend money…. they want to shop, especially the women.”

Parrish said a lot of accommodations would be needed for the event.

“We had people staying in Atlanta and driving up for the show last year,” he said.

The number of cars involved in the Cruiz-In could double if people could find a place to stay, Parrish said.

“We did a mailout the other day and registrations and calls are coming in like crazy,” he said.

Katie Polstra, the general manager of Ramada at Lake Chatuge, emphasized that even though it was only February, 70 percent of the hotel’s rooms were already booked for four nights during the Cruiz-In.

Chad Hooper, general manager of the Ridges Resort, said he was excited about the plans for this year’s event

“We were tickled to death to be able to host the first annual kick-off party for the car show last year,” he said. “We just had a good time.”

Hooper said he was amazed by the amount of vehicles at last year’s kick-off, everything from rat rods to $150,000 cars.

The Ridges will be hosting this year’s kick-off as well, which is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 12.

“It’s open to the public; there’s no admission to it,” Hooper said. “This is an event for everyone, this ain’t just for the car-owners.”

A local band, Steven Phillips and the Midnight Express, will be performing and a moonshine still from Dahlonega, Georgia will be on display, he said.

There will also be an 11-meter-long tour boat making multiple trips on Chatuge Lake.

“We all had a tough year in 2009; things like this make you shine and make you grin,” Hooper said. “We try to draw business to this community…so we can all survive, and that’s what it’s about.”

Towns County Commissioner Bill Kendall, who created the show’s name, said that the county spent $5,000 on security for last year’s event but that it was well worth it.

Parrish said that automotive vendors would be set up on the perimeter of the ball field, circling the show cars. Craft vendors would be placed outside the field.

Emphasizing a strategy to support the local economy, Parrish said he would make local vendors a priority and end the show early each night to allow visitors to spend money at area businesses and restaurants.

Aiming to solve last year’s parking problem, Parrish said trailers could be parked for free behind city hall for this year’s event.

“We’ve got cars coming to see cars,” he said, adding that a free shuttle service would provide extra parking across the highway for the show and the kick-off.

In addition, the director of the local HAM radio operators club volunteered to coordinate parking with his team.

Parrish said a website that was set up to collect feedback from last year’s event was overflowing with accolades.

“Everything we got was positive,” he said. “It was the best thing they’d ever been to; the best show they’d ever been to… and for a first year, that is great.”

If car enthusiasts thought last year’s show was spectacular, Parrish said 2010 would be even better.

“Last year was a drop in the bucket compared to what we’re looking at this year,” he said.

In other news, Thomason mentioned two more large-scale events being added to the calendar for 2011:

• About 1,500 shriners will meet in Hiawassee during the second weekend in June and put on a parade. For the last 23 years the shriners have met in Helen, Georgia.

• Approximately 1,800 members of the Christian Motorcycle Association will meet in Hiawassee the weekend after Father’s Day for the Eastern National Rally.

See more photos from the meeting.

Listen to the full meeting here.