Rodders look to next year's show

To the editor:

On Sept. 14 the River City Rodders in conjunction with Old Town Cape hosted its 31st annual car show. For the second year in a row, our show was downtown, a move that generated positive feedback at last year's show. After working on this event for almost a year, we had the misfortune of having Hurricane Ike pas through on the day of our show. Needless to say, the number of participants and spectators was down substantially. Despite the terrible weather, we still had 31 participants and several hundred spectators. One brave soul drove his 1956 Ford station wagon all the way from Desloge, Mo., through the wind and rain and ended up winning best of show for his efforts. Mother Nature is always unpredictable, and those are the chances you take when you host an outdoor event. Although we are disappointed, we are determined to be back next year at the same location on the second Sunday in September and promise to make our show bigger and better than ever.

The River City Rodders would like to thank all our corporate sponsors. We extend special thanks to the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the parks and recreation department, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Old Town Cape for the manpower and logistical assistance they provided, and to the local media for helping us get the word out. Finally, we would like to thank all of the car owners and the spectators who braved the elements to attend our show.

DANNY ESSNER, Car Show Chairman, River City Rodders, Cape Girardeau