Rod’s Converge on Colorado River Resort for Charities
Nearly a half a million dollars has been raised for dozens of charities in the Colorado River communities around Laughlin, NV thanks to a mutual love of classic cars between Don Laughlin, town founder and owner of the Riverside Resort, and the River Cruizers Car Club of Bullhead City, AZ.

The annual September Roddin’ on the River event boasts more than 600 classic cars from throughout the Southwest and as far away as Canada and Alaska.

“Don Laughlin and the Riverside Resort have stood behind this event for 19 years,” Event Chairperson Ellen Bridges said. “Without the unbridled support of the resort and its staff, we wouldn’t have our core event. And we wouldn’t have given over $400,000 to local charities on behalf of our Club.”

The River Cruizers Car Club formed in 1990 in an effort to organize volunteers for a tri-state area car rally. The rally, now one of the largest in the West, is located in Laughlin at the southernmost tip of the Silver State - where Nevada, Arizona and California come together on the Colorado River.

The Club has over 125 members and welcomes no less than 8,000 visitors and guest to the event. Through a simple $2 donation for spectators, the Club has become, arguably, the largest local non-profit funding mechanism for a variety of youth activities and needs through the tri-state area.

Club members come from towns such as Lake Havasu City, Kingman and Bullhead City, Arizona, Needles, California and Laughlin, Nevada. For four days, the member volunteers host poker runs, a poker walk and luncheon for ladies, creeper races, stool races, live auctions, “open header, decimal” competitions, kid’s games, 50/50 drawings, dinners and several awards. But “the three big awards” are the most sought after.

Among the 90 some trophies and special jackets, the biggest award is the top honor, Don Laughlin’s Pick. Each year, the resort owner and entrepreneur surveys the goods and picks his favorite car. The classic car buff knows his stuff and can be seen each year at the world renowned Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction in Scottsdale, AZ. His purchases often end up in the Riverside’s Classic Car Collection Exhibition Hall.

The other two top honors are the Participants’ Choice, which is awarded by a vote of the official entrants and the honor for the River Cruizers’ Presidents Choice.

The three winners each year have bragging rights to the next year’s t-shirt, website features and being front and center on most other collateral.

Music from the 1950s, 60s and 70s filters throughout the outdoor show while guests enjoy burgers, barbecue, cold beer and breathtaking views of the Colorado River.

This year’s event will be held September 23-26, 2010.
 
“We have come up with some unique and fun events in 19 years,” Bridges explained. “The creeper races are a favorite. It’s a mechanics creeper race powered by plungers used to push the six-wheeled devise along, almost like skiing.

“Car owners can also “uncork” their headers and try to rev up their engines to the loudest level. Decimal readers make it official.”

Ellen Bridges chairs the event with significant help from her husband Wray. They, along with all the members of the Club, decide each year how to award the monies raised to local charities and college scholarships.

Most significant are the scholarships offered annually to all area high school kids. No less than 20 area youth are given scholarships to colleges of their choice. The students must keep up grade point averages and can reapply each year as long as they meet criteria.

The Club recently purchased a $3,500 K9 unit for the Mohave County, AZ Sherriff’s office. Other very significant donations fund Little Leagues, AYSO Soccer, Special Olympics, the Colorado River Boys and Girls Clubs, Shop with a Cop, local high schools’ ROTC programs, We Care Cancer, the American Heart Association, Mohave Accelerated Learning, Community Pride Advocates and a local Back Pack for Kids program, which sends kids home with food for the weekends if they qualify as needy families.

The process to apply is strict. Applications for only not-for-profit organizations are accepted and the Club members make funding decisions based on merit and the non-profits’ ability to fill a proven need. The receiving groups must complete a review of how monies were spent.

“We really try to help everyone,” Bridges said. “The needs, especially at this time in our economy, are overwhelming.

The Club members pay $35 in dues a year and must have a qualifying vehicle that is 25 years of age or older.

The Club meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm at Casa Serano Restaurant, a Mohave Valley, AZ establishment.

“We just all share an affection for classic cars and we have a good time,” she said. “There are some awesome car buffs here roaring engines, talking cars and meeting people.”

The event has become so popular, the Club and Don Laughlin have added a January event called Chillin’ on the River. Even though year-round temperatures in the region are about 86 degrees, the temperature is usually in the 60 degree range at the beginning of the year.

Both shows are open to all years, makes and models street rods, muscle cars, trucks, four by fours.

To sign up for the event, go to www.rivercruizers.com for a printable entry form. Interested parties may contact Ellen Bridges at ew@citlink.net or call 1-928-505-8457.

Room and RV reservations at Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort can be made at www.riversideresort.com or by call 1-800-227-3849.

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