Cars and Charity come together for grand ‘Hey Day’

This 1966 Ford pickup is a 1-owner vehicle, built for durability more than comfort.

The interior of a 1967 Chevy Camaro owned by Chuck Ames displays a car built for speed, typically of the muscle cars from that era.

Vintage, antique, classic, late model and rat rod vehicles lined the streets of downtown Huntsville during Saturday’s 17th annual Cruz’n the Square.

This 1968 Chevy C-10 pickup owned by Les Weems sported a sharp-looking metallic blue coat of paint.

Polk Square in downtown Huntsville was lined with cars and pickups from all eras since America’s love affair with the automobile begin with Henry Ford, who is credited as a pioneer in making automobiles affordable for middle-class Americans.

The dash and interior of vintage pickups like this Chevy can be accented by gauges to monitor the automobile’s performance while driving.

Saturday’s 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square” event showcased nearly 100 antique, vintage and classic automobiles.

Duard Maybee owns this green 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle entered into the 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square” fundraiser Saturday in downtown Huntsville.

This blue 1966 Shelby Cobra, owned by Mark Van Becelaare, and the black 1928 Ford Roadster, owned by Dwight Ennis, were the first two cars registered in the 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square” car show Saturday.

By virtue of being the 54th entry into the 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square” car show, this 1974 Plymouth Road Runner owned by Ike Owens has ties to at least two classic TV shows, “Car 54, where are you?” and it’s also the same type car driven by Daisy Duke in the “Dukes of Hazard.” Before the event ended there was some “Dukes of Hazard” type driving with burnouts on War Eagle Avenue. One motorcyle rider initiated a burnout and slid over past the traffic delineator posts on the north side of the street, and had to stop, and point his bike back into the lane of traffic before burning out again.

This 1978 Chevrolet Corvette owned by Madison Mitchell sports Huntsville colors with a deep maroon paint.

Dane Spurlock (left), grandson of Buddy Spurlock (right), traveled to Europe in recent years, visiting Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. He stayed close to grandpa and home by participating in Saturday’s Cruz’n the Square.

Jason Yates, who organized “Cruz’n the Square” 17 years ago picks up traffic delineator posts after the show.

Vann Dunn burns rubber in his 1987 Buick Grand National. Dunn customized the car, using an emblem from a 1995, and swapped out the motor. The motor includes parts from the 1960s with 350 horsepower and a 327 camshaft, combined with aluminum 1980s Corvette heads.“It seems to be a good combination. It drives real well and gets 17 to 18 miles-per-gallon,” Dunn said. “I call it the ‘Dunn Edition Grand Sport.’” He just put the car together this summer, taking two months to complete it because he would work an hour in the mid-day and it would get too hot, so he left off until 7:30 or 8 p.m. when temperatures cooled down. All the work was done in the driveway because the garage was too hot to work in.

This late model Chevy Camaro had one of the longest burnouts coming up War Eagle Avenue at the end of the 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square” on Saturday.

War Eagle Avenue progressively grew marked with burnout streaks as one-by-one drivers celebrated a little “Dukes of Hazard” style driving on the streets of Huntsville Saturday.

J.D. Hawthorn, who lives just four miles south of Huntsville on Highway 23, enjoyed driving his 1931 Ford Model A to Saturday’s 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square” event held at Polk Square. Hawthorn is the third owner of the car. He acquired it in 1970 in Missouri. “It’s fun to drive. I farm a lot and I don’t have much time to drive it,” Hawthorn said. “It only has 15,196 miles on the odometer.” Hawthorn owns three Model A’s and this is the best one.

Jason Yates, organizer of the 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square,” car show and fundraiser, shows how to burn rubber during Saturday’s event.

This driver gave a thumbs up while driving down War Eagle Avenue during the “Burnout” portion to conclude Saturday’s 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square.”

Jason Willcut (right) poses with his wife, Kathy, during the 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square,” an event he’s supported over the years. Jason Willcut returned from a 44-day hospital stint to attend this year’s event. He had two heart pumps intalled at a cost of $57,000 apiece, which insurance may not cover, but is encouraged by the giving spirit of Madison County as one of three beneficiaries of the 2024 “Cruz’n the Square” fundraiser.

Jason Yates, who organized “Cruz’n the Square” 17 years ago as an annual fundraiser to benefit children in need, had to bail his wife, Mary, out of the “Booger County Jail,” with the funds going to charity.

The original sticker for this 1971 Pontiac GT-37 owned by Gerry and Cindy Zanger shows a total purchase price, including options, of $3720.34.

This 1971 Pontiac GT-37 owned by Gerry and Cindy Zanger, featured a 400 motor, vinyl accent stripes, Rally II wheels, and dual exhaust among its options.

A spacious trunk in this 1965 Chevy Malibu could hold a lot of groceries in addition to a spare tire. John Gibson owns this car.

This 1954 Chevy 3100 is owned by Ricky Walden.

T-tops were a popular feature on Chevy Corvettes, such as this 1968 model displayed by Bob Olic. The ‘vet has a 427 big block motor and is all-original except for reupholstered seats and a new paint job. “It’s like a skateboard with a chainsaw engine. It’s a lot of fun to drive,” Olic said.

This 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix belonged to Bob Olic’s sister, Linda Olic, in Los Angeles, Calif. Linda’s moving into a retirement community and only allowed one vehicle, so Bob and his wife, Amy, bought the car and had it shipped to Northwest Arkansas in June in time for the International Pontiac Convention at Springdale.

Paul Vanderpool owns this 1930 Ford Model A with 200 cubic inch motor, approximately 15 miles-per-gallon, purchase price new in 1930 estimated at $500-$600 with a top speed of 70 miles-per-hour.