Rod Run debuts this weekend
Courtesy photos Tad Leach’s 1958 Lincoln Continental is pictured here, on display at the Spokane Speed and Custom Show in April at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds.
North Idaho Classics Car Club vehicles are pictured here, on display in April at the Spokane Speed and Custom Show at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds. The car club will host a Rod Run and show this weekend in Post Falls.
A new cruise and car show is gearing up for its debut this weekend. The North Idaho Classics Car Club will present the 2018 Rod Run Friday and Saturday at Tedder Business Park at the former outlet mall site in Post Falls.
“Don’t just come and look at the cars,” said car club member Tad Leach. “There are other things to do along with seeing fabulous vehicles.”
The Rod Run will have “a little bit of everything,” he said, including trucks, motorcycles, antique stock cars, custom cars and more. There are no year restrictions on vehicles.
The show is free to the public. Even those who aren’t gearheads will find plenty to enjoy at this family-friendly event, Leach said, such as vendors, a beer garden, live music, and games for children and adults.
Vehicle owners can preregister online at www.northidahoclassics.com or register in person at Tedder Business Park. The cost to enter a vehicle is $15 for the show and cruise, or $5 for just the cruise. In-person registration at the business park opens at 3 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.
Friday night’s “destination cruise” begins at 5 p.m. at Tedder Business Park and has seven stops. Each stop will host giveaways and other activities.
The first stop will be River City Speed and Custom, followed by Advance Auto Parts, the Exxon station on Prairie and Ramsey, and Paul Bunyan in Post Falls. From there, vehicles will head to Cruisers — driving directly through the building — then continue on to Cabela’s and 4 Wheel Parts, before returning to Tedder Business Park.
For spectators, the best place to watch the cruise will be near Tedder Industries, along Riverbend Avenue. The cruise starts and ends there, so all the vehicles will pass through. After the cruise, there will be food, activities and a classic-car movie showing at dusk.
During the show on Saturday, which starts at 9:00 a.m., the Rod Run will feature a swap meet, vendors and a beer garden, activities for the whole family, and live music.
More than 40 trophies will be awarded when the winners are announced at 5 p.m. Each trophy is unique, crafted from car parts by NIC welding students.
The North Idaho Classics Car Club started Car d’Lane, the annual downtown Coeur d’Alene car cruise and show. For years, the car club worked with the Downtown Association to coordinate Car d’Lane until this year, when the North Idaho Classics Car Club split with Car d’Lane to put on its own show, the one happening this weekend.
Since the 1990s, the North Idaho Classics Car Club has donated more than $128,000 raised from car shows to local charities. With the Rod Run, Leach said the club hopes to continue this legacy of giving for years to come.
“We want to do something constructive,” Leach said. “We’re building a show with the intent of using the revenue to support local charities.”