money 14th annual Crime Stoppers Car Show hits capacity at Amarillo Civic Center
About 150 cars' engines roared into the Amarillo Civic Center of all makes and models for the 14th annual Crime Stoppers Car Show on Saturday.
“We hit our registration limit before the show even started this year,” said Scott Welling, Police Coordinator for Amarillo Crime Stoppers.
The show benefits Amarillo Crime Stoppers and Student Crime Stoppers. Both of these programs cover Potter, Randall, and Carson counties. Student Crime Stoppers covers the schools, and Amarillo Crime Stoppers covers all other crime. These non-profit organizations provide the community with a program to use as a safe and anonymous way for crimes and fugitives to be reported. There were several sponsors and vendors along with surrounding community members at Saturday's event.
“When we started, we were in the AISD (Amarillo Independent School District) parking lot, so it is nice to be inside, so we don’t have to worry about the weather. This just continues to grow and get bigger with each year,” Welling said. “This show is run by a board of civilians and takes months and months to plan; we are happy to see how good it came together.”
In one corner of the Civic Center was a Halloween lover's dream featuring three different vehicles: a 2005 Harley Davidson springer; a 1952 Bellaire, which was originally set-up as a four-door vehicle and was now set up in a coupe style; and a Halloween decorated Hearse. Along with the eye-catching vehicles was Halloween music, different decorations, and the kids' favorites, candy.
“We wanted to do something different. You always see the shiny paint and regular everyday cars, but we wanted to build something that is against the norm. Building something crazy excites me more. No matter where you go in something like that, everybody is freaking out,” said Rudy Vigil, president of Mas Chingon Car Club. "We made this car in three weeks to compete with another car that’s normally here. It was a lot of hours and work. Yesterday was move in time, and right before we left, we were putting the brakes in. We didn’t even know if it was going to make it here.”
A group of ladies offered a blast from the past dressed in '40s-inspired clothing, which brought a car of the same era back to life: A 1948 Chevy Fleetline, known as Brunhilda, has been given a facelift while staying as true to the original build as possible.
“We tried to dress up to honor the car and that era. We are trying to match the '40s style and to honor history. We are losing these cars more and more, and we are so used to seeing modified cars that we forget what they looked like. It’s nice for the younger generations to see how far cars have come,” said Christina Beltz, the Fleetline's owner.
To contact Amarillo Crime Stoppers, call 806-374-4400 or submit your anonymous tip by using the P3 Tips App. If your tip leads to an arrest, you could earn a reward up to $1,000.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Wide range of cars on display at Amarillo Crime Stoppers Car Show
