A somewhat chilly morning gave way to high clouds and blue skies as the St. Augustine Cruisers (SAC) welcomed a beautiful day for their 8th Annual SAC Car & Truck Show at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds on November 7, 2009. Despite a plethora of other events scheduled for that day, over 165 automobiles – vintage, classic and current – showed up to vie for trophies in 41 classes. The show was open to all makes, models and years of cars.

Under the leadership of President Garret Hutchison, the SAC members warmed up for the weekend with a BBQ and Sock Hop for the pre-registrants and local club members on Friday night before the show. A crowd-pleasing band kept the guests and the volunteers dancing.

On the day of the show, SAC members were all over the fairgrounds, registering cars, directing traffic, working in the kitchen and at the information table – doing all the myriad tasks necessary to run a car show. At the camper serving as the show’s headquarters, SAC member Dewey Porter dispersed his group of judges with their clipboards on their missions to select the winning cars in each class. “Elvis” and “Priscilla” rode around the grounds in a golf cart selling tickets to the 50/50 raffle.

A steady stream of spectators visited the show, strolling between the colorful hues of automobiles polished to the hilt, reflecting their surroundings in the metal depths. Participants lounged in folding chairs, or grabbed a bite to eat at the barbecue-hamburger service inside the fairground building. At 3:00pm, the trophy presentations drew the crowd toward the building, where SAC members handed out trophies, including one for Best of Show. That award went to Jim Hopkins of Beverly Hills, Florida, for his sleek black 1972 Chevy Nova.

As in past years, the profits from the show, and proceeds from other events during the year, are donated to local children’s charities during the holiday season. SAC members vote on the recipients at their December meeting. The 2009 beneficiaries were the Sertoma for Kids toy drive, the transportation fund for the Shriners Hospitals, St. Augustine Youth Services, Relay for Life and a Make A Wish project run by the Rainbow Girls. CN