By Zach Spicer
Whether you want to show off your own vehicle or admire others’ rides, Seymour is the place to be this weekend.
Car shows are set for Friday and Saturday, and there’s a car wash and Scoop the Loop on Saturday.
Car shows
The sixth annual FOP Pre-Scoop Cruise-In and Car Show Tom Gray Memorial is from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday in the Walnut Street and Robertson Mill parking lots in downtown Seymour.
Parking starts at 3 p.m., and awards will be presented at 8:30 p.m. The cost to register on the day of the show is $15. Advance registration ran through Aug. 6, and the first 100 entries will receive a dash plaque and have a chance to win door prizes.
Admission to the car show is free. There will be a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, food and beverages available for purchase and live music by Six Ways to Sunday.
Proceeds will benefit Fraternal Order of Police Donald M. Winn Lodge 108’s Cops and Kids program, which pairs local law enforcement officers with less-fortunate kids in Jackson County for a shopping experience in early December at Walmart Supercenter in Seymour.
In 2020, a record 256 vehicles, including cars, trucks and motorcycles, registered for the event, and the FOP raised more than $15,000, which allowed for 53 kids and 26 families to be served.
For the second year in a row, the show will be a tribute to Gray, who was a member of the Seymour Area Cruisers car club that helped with parking and judging at the show. He died Dec. 30, 2019.
On Saturday, the 11th annual Cruise with the Son open car show will be outside Redeemer Lutheran Church, 504 N. Walnut St., Seymour.
Registration will be from 10 a.m. to noon, and participant-judged awards will be handed out at 3 p.m. Vehicle owners must be present to win. For the kids, bicycles and Power Wheels may be entered.
The cost is a $15 donation with proceeds benefiting Redeemer parochial students.
The event will feature dash plaques for participants, food and a disc jockey.
Car wash
The public is invited to bring their vehicle to be washed by Special Olympics Indiana Jackson County athletes and volunteers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday outside Taco Bell, 1509 E. Tipton St., Seymour.
The cost is a freewill donation to benefit the county program.
Special Olympics Indiana is a nonprofit organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities ages 8 and up.
Scoop the Loop
A Seymour tradition is returning this year.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 Scoop the Loop was canceled by organizer Erin Hays.
On Saturday night, the annual homecoming attraction will return for the ninth year from 6 to 11 p.m., bringing people to downtown Seymour to cruise the loop in their vehicle.
In a Facebook post, Hays encouraged attendees to visit local restaurants that will have specials and also some that will be open later than usual.
“Please support our local businesses and have a great time,” Hays wrote.
Official shirts for the 2021 Scoop the Loop are now available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the Jackson County Visitor Center, 100 N. Broadway St., Seymour.
There are five colors available: Yellow, lime green, royal blue, pink and light gray.
Sizes available include small through XXXL. Size small through XL are $16, while XXL and XXXL are $18.
The shirt features the Indiana truck of Butch Black, a member of the Seymour Area Cruisers who died Jan. 12.
The Seymour Evening Lions Club is selling the shirts, which go on to benefit its community service projects in areas like vision, hunger, diabetes, childhood cancer, the environment and other many local charities.
The shirts also will be available at Second and Walnut streets near the Pre-Scoop Cruise-In and Car Show on Friday and Seymour Museum Center (Second and Chestnut streets) during Scoop the Loop on Saturday.