“Car show makes downtown shine”

Posted: 22 Aug 2010 04:20 AM PDT

By PETER BAUMANN / lbedit9@laramieboomerang.com • Sunday, August 22, 2010

With an abundance of shiny chrome and polished paint, downtown Laramie was so bright sunglasses were almost a requirement. Just one car shy of 80 entries, Downtown Laramie Business Association and Laramie Main Street's second annual "Drive In, Rev Up Downtown!" brought auto enthusiasts from around the Cowboy State, northern Colorado and western Nebraska to downtown Laramie to compete and converse with one another Saturday.

"The participants are so much fun. They call me and tell me about their cars, they give me input and the excitement of the day just makes it a blast," DLBA president Denise Deem said. "And looking at the cars is just plain fun."

This year's car show had an increase of more than 20 entries, Deem said.

"We sent out postcards to all of the car clubs in northern Colorado, Wyoming and western Nebraska," Deem said. "So rather than going out and recruiting one car, we get a club and they show up with 10. That's been a big boost for us."

By hosting the car show in August rather than September, DLBA was able to get WyoTech more involved and strengthen the event that way as well, Deem said.

"We brought down their top students and they're judging some of the categories," Deem said.

The car show grew out of a partnership between Laramie Main Street, DLBA and David Hunt's University of Wyoming senior marketing class, Deem said.

"Main Street commissioned the senior marketing class to come up with a project," Deem said. "They came up with three possible events: a car show, a music festival or expanding our current Halloween trick or treat giveaway."

Laramie business owners decided to host the car show, Deem said.

"The funny thing about it is I had never even been to a car show before," Deem said. "But we found people who knew how they operate, and it was a great success the first year."

Deem hopes to see that success continue in future years.

"It's pretty full on Second, but we still have room for another 20 or 30 cars here," Deem said. "And even if the people aren't shopping (the day of the car show), it keeps us vibrant, it keeps us alive and they see the businesses that we have down here and start considering downtown a destination stop."

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