Miles for Smiles cruise, car show Sept. 6
Bestland Senior Living Executive Director Dana Klaas visits with the driver of a 1968 Mercury Cougar during a past cruise to local senior living facilities. The Hayden Senior Center's Miles for Smiles will again deliver joy to elder residents during a classic car cruise Sept. 6.
Courtesy photo
HAYDEN — Classic car owners who wish to bring joy to others while supporting the Hayden Senior Center will have plenty of opportunities to do so Sept. 6 during the second Miles for Smiles Classic Car Cruise and Car Show.
Featuring vehicles made in 1999 and earlier, the cruise will start at 10 a.m. and parade by several senior living facilities for a smile, a wave and that warm feeling of nostalgia that accompanies seeing cars of yesteryear.
"What’s exciting this year is we’re adding a costume contest — 1950s rock and roll," Hayden Senior Center board member Diane Zell said Thursday. "We’re having prizes for people’s choice and the car show, we have a costume contest prize as well, then we have a silent auction."
Last year's inaugural event featured 25 classic rides. Zell said only 30 can participate in the cruise due to logistics, but the car show is open to anyone who wants to participate. For $10, participants can be on the cruise and show or just the show.
Zell said cruising by residents at local senior facilities is good for the drivers and for those watching the cars parade past.
"It is always so rewarding," she said. "It just makes the drivers so happy. They’re seeing everybody go gaga over their cars. We’re the 'used to' generation: 'I used to do this, I used to drive that car.' There’s a lot of memories. It starts conversations. It's just happiness all the way around."
Miles for Smiles will include a 50/50 raffle and lunch available for purchase from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Prizes will be awarded at 1:30 p.m.
Proceeds will support the nonprofit Hayden Senior Center, which offers lunches every Tuesday and Thursday as well as activities and social functions for local seniors. The center is also seeking a permanent home, as it currently operates out of the Coeur d'Alene Shrine Club Event Center at 1250 W. Lancaster Road.
"Our center is so important for so many people," Zell said. "It is a support system for them. Half the people we serve there, this is their thing."
The Miles for Smiles cruise will line up at 9 a.m. and go until 11:30 a.m. The deadline to register is Saturday.
Email [email protected] to register and for details.
Info: haydenseniorcenter.org