Main Street Square brings more life to Cruiser Car Show - KOTA Territory News

Main Street Square brings more life to Cruiser Car Show

More cars, more people, and more fun: That's how organizers describe this year's Cruiser Car Show and Street Festival in downtown Rapid City.

People seemed to agree the more centralized location made it quite a gas, and for car enthusiasts like Art Balcom, that meant more eyes poring over his '33 Chevy than in years past, which he says were "all the years it didn't rain. And I came those years, but went home early."
 
But this year was a little different. It centered around the new Main Street Square.
 
"If they have a nice stage, and a nice atmosphere, and a place for the little people and kids and stuff," Balcom said, "it's got to be good."
 
The Square wasn't open last year, so organizers had to build a stage somewhere else.

That gave it sort of a disjointed feel that this year's show just didn't have, said Beth Hottel, assistant director for Destination Rapid City.
 
"It really gives us a core to downtown," she said. "It's a central gathering place, and that's one thing that downtown Rapid City was missing."
 
"So far it looks like it's drawing in a lot of people," said Bob Watkins, a Rapid City man enjoying the car show. "I think it's kind of a cool deal."

So does Hottel. She expected about 400 cars this year -- 140 more than last year -- and at least 5,000 or 6,000 onlookers.
 
"When there's more things going on, more people want to come and see," she said.
 
Organizers, including the Rapid City Police Department, even included kid-friendly activities, such as train rides and a police canine demonstration.

And, of course, the fountains in the square were a favorite in the afternoon heat.
 
"It's family-friendly," Nicole Craig, another local patron, said. "It makes it easy for the entire family to come down, and everybody can have fun instead of parents just dragging kids around. There's something for everyone to do."
 
"I'm kind of anxious to bring my granddaughter down to it one of these days," Watkins added.

That's just fine with car enthusiasts like Balcom.
 
"Any time you involve the public," he said, "it seems to make a nicer event of it."

Hottel also said Destination Rapid City and the RCPD just about doubled the number of awards they gave out this year.

They even added some new categories, like trucks.