Not Your Average Car Show in Napavine

You’re not likely to see a cherry red convertible or a baby blue cruiser at the Napavine Redneck Car Show.

“This is not your ordinary car show,” said Deana Bishop, one of the organizers of the event, which happens this year on Sunday in Napavine. “It’s about the fun. It’s not so much about the cars.”

This is the seventh year for the Redneck Car Show, a fundraiser for Team Laugh Out Loud, a Lewis County Relay for Life team. Relay for Life is a 24-hour relay style walk and run that raises money for the American Cancer Society. Team member Cris Dodd said it was this cause that brought all of them together in the first place.

“We’ve all been affected by cancer in one way or another,” Dodd said.

And the inspiration for their flagship fundraiser also came from close to home. Dodd said she noticed people around town, even some of her family members, who love their big, raised, modified trucks.

“You’re in Lewis County and there’s a lot of rednecks around here and there’s a lot of country boys who like to mess around with their cars,” Steffen said.

“We figured why not have a show that caters to these guys,” Dodd said.

The Redneck Car Show is just one of a series of unusual fundraisers the team has had, including Jell-o shots at Frosty’s, a mixed martial arts fight and a Saver’s Donation Drive for Value Village where they get paid by the pound to bring certain donated items into the shop.

“We’re a think outside the box kind of team,” Dodd said.

The Lewis County Relay for Life takes place each year the third Saturday of May, which means Team Laugh Out Loud is already fundraising for the 2016 event. They said their hope is to raise more money that the 2015 top fundraising team, which raised about $15,000. And they have confidence they could come out on top this year.

“Our very first year we came in third place,” Dodd said.

“And we just totally winged it,” Bishop added.

The first Redneck Car Show in 2010 gathered about 40 vehicles. But over the years they have seen waning interest, which the organizers are combating by changing things up a bit. First and foremost they visited other traditional car shows to learn about what car enthusiasts like and they decided to focus on two things: prizes and activities. Those entering cars in the show will compete for dash plaques in categories including: biggest, loudest, muddiest, most redneck, least redneck and people’s choice. There will also be competitions for two- and three-wheeled motorcycles for: most chrome, least chrome, loudest, most decorated and people’s choice. Kids can also get in the action by bringing their own entries of anything they can ride on or in.

“They’ve brought wagons, power wheels, bikes, trikes,” Dodd said. “We’ve seen about every mode of kids transportation there is.”

So what makes a vehicle redneck? Well, it’s a lot of things. It can be a Chevy body with a Ford engine. It can be a vehicle that’s muddy inside and out (an actual contestant from the past). Or it can be a vehicle so cobbled together it has to be towed to the event (another actual contestant).

“It’s stuff you wouldn’t ordinarily see anybody driving down the street,” Bishop explained. “This has been modified to be in the field or the back woods. It’s back yard project at its finest.”

“Things used how they’re not supposed to be used. MacGyver stuff,” team member Carrie Steffen said.

“Ones you need ladders to get into,” team member Kelly Engel added with a laugh.

The event will also include contests that are open to both those who bring cars to show and those who just come to see the cars. For kids, contests will include: Sunflower seed spitting, plunger ball toss, tire race and tug of war. For adults, contests will include: toilet seat horseshoes, tug of war, family-friendly frozen T-shirt and wet T-shirt contests, and wheelbarrow races.

Organizers have also added a new pit crew contest to this year’s lineup.

“This is for the guys to come and show us how quickly they can change their tires but they have to do it redneck style without power tools, without air tools, without plug-in tools. Only wrenches.” Bishop explained.

Admission for spectators is free but there will be a redneck wishing well — a purple camouflage toilet where people can make donation to the Relay team.