Gunnison Car Show & High Octane Arts & Crafts Festival

What better place to talk cool cars than leaning under the hood of a brightly painted, fully chromed custom street rod against the cool mountain backdrop of beautiful Gunnison, Colorado? Combine that camaraderie with an arts and crafts festival across the street for a winning combination of the 21st Annual Gunnison Car Show and the High Octane Arts & Craft Festival on Aug. 22 - 24.

22nd Annual Gunnison Car Show, August 21 - 23
Several hundred prime vintage and custom cars will be on exhibit and on the roads of the Gunnison Valley during the 22nd Annual Gunnison Car Show, Aug. 21 - 23. The event, sponsored by the Gunnison Car Club, includes a cruise-in and free street dance on Gunnison’s Main Street, an open car show, poker run, and breakfast cruise to Crested Butte.

The shows theme is “Cool Cars. Cool Mountains.” It celebrates the combination of Gunnison’s comfortable August temperatures and the many custom and collector cars on exhibit. The show traditionally attracts vehicles from throughout Colorado and from several surrounding states.

The car show begins in downtown Gunnison on Friday, Aug. 21 from 5 - 9 p.m. with a cruise-in and concert. A portion of Main Street will be closed to regular traffic during the event, so there’s plenty of room for more than 150 show cars to park where they can be viewed by the public. The popular Kansas City band “The ThunderJets” will be playing for a free street dance open to everyone. On Saturday the full car show begins at 8 a.m. in beautiful Jorgensen Park.

Surrounded by trees, green grass and water, this is an “open” event, which means any vehicle in any condition, from barely moving to full blown restoration, is welcome. It’s not unusual to see exotic, one-of-a-kind custom street rods, high performance sports cars, tricked out pickup trucks and a gaggle of British cars all parked together on the lawn.

Food, games and contests are also a big part of the day that typically showcases more than 300 vehicles. Judging of the cars continues until midday, when an awards ceremony is held. A poker run through the streets of Gunnison concludes the fun at 5 p.m.

On Sunday, approximately 125 cars leave Gunnison at 7:30 a.m. to drive the scenic 28 miles to Crested Butte’s Elk Avenue, the town’s colorful historic business district. Elk Avenue is closed to traffic on this morning so that the vehicles are available for viewing while their owners enjoy a gourmet breakfast at one of Crested Butte’s fine restaurants. Admission to the award-winning Gunnison Car Show is free to the general public, but there is a registration fee for cars that are entered. Car show proceeds are donated to community causes. For more information and to register, check out the Gunnison Car Club’s website.

High Octane Arts & Crafts Festival, August 22
The Gunnison Country Chamber of Commerce invites arts and crafts lovers to experience the High Octane Arts & Crafts Festival being held in conjunction with the Gunnison Car Show on Aug. 22. The festival will be held from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. in Legion Park, located across the street from Jorgensen Park, where the car show will be held on the same day.

High Octane Arts & Crafts Festival will showcase arts and crafts from around the region. Also enjoy a barbecue lunch and refreshments prepared by F Bar Catering. Fun for the whole family will be available.

For individuals interested in registering for a booth to sell arts and crafts or food, contact the Gunnison Country Chamber of Commerce at (970) 641-1501 or visit www.gunnisonchamber.com. The deadline for booth applications is August 1, 2008.