Beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, the Lewis County Autism Coalition and Cornerstone Center for Development will hold a fundraiser car and BMX bike show at the Veterans Memorial Museum, located at 100 SW Veterans Way in Chehalis. The show will end at 1 p.m.
“All the proceeds are going toward the Autism Coalition. The museum isn’t getting anything,” Veterans Memorial Museum Executive Director Chip Duncan said. “I just love being able to partner with them and help them host the show.”
Duncan reached out to the Lewis County Autism Coalition when he heard it was initially planning on using a small, locally available parking lot, which wouldn’t have given them much space for cars.
With the fields at the Veterans Memorial Museum, there is now room for hundreds of cars to be displayed for the show. And for those who can’t drive yet, they can still show their BMX or other kinds of bikes.
“It’s an avenue where a 10-year-old kid can become a part of a car show, bring his bicycle in, clean it up, spray paint it, whatever they want to do,” Duncan said.
Those planning on displaying their bikes are asked not to ride them near the cars.
He noted the eighth annual Ride the Willapa bike ride will also be starting that day. Cyclists will be on the Willapa Hills Trail, which starts near the museum.
“So it’s going to end up being like this bicycle-car thing. Those two don’t normally go together, but here we are,” Duncan added.
Along with the cars and bikes, live music will be performed, food trucks will be available and a 50/50 raffle will be held. Additionally, all children who register a bike in the show will receive a free Hot Wheels car.
Registration for the inaugural Lewis County Autism Coalition Car and BMX Show is now open and costs $20 per car. Bicycle registration is free.
To register, visit the Lewis County Autism Coalition’s website at https://www.lcautism.org/carshow/ or register in person at the Veterans Memorial Museum.
Founded in 2010, the Lewis County Autism Coalition is a partnership of various agencies, educators, health professionals and adults on the autism spectrum.
The coalition’s goal is to grow and sustain resources for children and adults on the spectrum, along with their parents, families and surrounding communities within Lewis County. For more information, visit https://www.lcautism.org/.
The Cornerstone Center for Development, located in Centralia, is a center where parents with children on the spectrum or with other disabilities can get outpatient speech, occupational and physical therapies.
To learn more about Cornerstone, read The Chronicle’s previous feature on it at https://bit.ly/4b02431.
A local nonprofit, the Veterans Memorial Museum is dedicated to preserving the memories and telling the stories of veterans.
For more information, visit https://www.veteransmuseum.org/ or find the museum on Facebook.
