Car Cruise will travel down Main Avenue this year

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake is gearing up for another huge summer event.  In just a few weeks hundreds of classic car owners will be showing off their restored rides in the annual C.L.A.S.S. (Clear Lake Auto Social Society’s) annual Summer Dance Cruise and Car Show Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3.

With almost 40 years experience, club members run the event like a well oiled machine.  That will no doubt be the case again this year, but with one major change.

Club President Kirk Kraft says the club was forced to make a significant change to the Friday night Car Cruise route around the lake.

“After many years of Kingland graciously letting us use their parking lot to stage the cruise, the lot is now a green space and not available to us,” explains Kraft.

This year cruise participants will begin lining up in the Clear Lake High School circle drive.  Drivers will begin to gather mid-afternoon in preparation for a 5:15 p.m. cruise.  For the first time, the route will travel down Main Street from 20th Street to South Shore Drive.  It will proceed on South Shore all the way around the lake, turning west on County Road B-35 to S-14, then north to Ventura and finally east on Lake Street, which becomes North Shore Drive.  The cruise will end at the Surf Ballroom on North Shore Drive.

Kraft notes the Surf Ballroom is the venue for Friday night C.L.A.S.S. activities.  Some drivers may wish to stop there after the cruise, while others may travel home or to their hotel and return later to the Surf to enjoy music from the 1950s and 60s played by Flash Cadillac from 7 p.m. to midnight.  The general public is invited to join the classic car enthusiasts at the Surf.  Admission is $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

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Kraft said it is important to note that travel will not be entirely restricted on Main Avenue during the cruise.

“This isn’t like a parade, exactly.  Sometimes people need to be on a street during the cruise and they can still have access.  It is not a closed street,” he said.

Clear Lake Police Chief Pete Roth said parking will not be restricted on Main, however it will be in the downtown area during the cruise.

Last year more than 800 cars took part in the cruise and even more are expected this year, according to organizers.

The C.L.A.S.S. Car Show on Saturday is based at City Park and Main Avenue, as well as some side streets.  The streets used are closed to traffic, including bicycles, during the show. Registration and classification is held from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  Cars are to begin at classification, which is held at the Clear Lake High School parking lot and from there proceed down Main Street to the downtown area.  Registration is held in the Lakeview Room in the City Park Bandshell.  A Show and Shine is held from noon to 3 p.m.

Spectator admission to the car show is free. Music and activities will be held in the park throughout the day.   Saturday evening free musical entertainment will be provided by the Good Clean Fun Band on the City Park Bandshell stage.  All are invited to attend the concert from 6:30-10 p.m.

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