Car d’Lane charity event revs up this weekend

Car d’Lane was born in 1990 when Idaho was celebrating its statehood centennial.

A group of classic and antique car owners in Southern Idaho organized a motoring tour of the Gem State, and more joined the caravan as it snaked north into the Panhandle.

In Coeur d’Alene, local car enthusiasts prepared a welcoming committee of classic cars downtown on Sherman Avenue. Fewer than 100 cars gathered for the ceremony, but it was the start of a Father’s Day tradition in the Lake City.

The North Idaho Classics car club organizes the Friday night cruise, which draws big crowds for a three-hour, mile-long rolling exhibition of muscle cars, hot rods, hobby cars and customs. It starts at 6 tonight.

“In the early years the cruise was a very small part of what was going on,” said Cliff Fender, a spokesman with the car club and the owner of a ’65 Mustang. “It’s a major part of it now. We’ll probably get 700 cars cruising through downtown Coeur d’Alene on Friday night.”

The turnout always depends on the weather, Fender said.

“This year I’m betting they’re going to come out in throngs, because we’re in for a gorgeous weekend,” he said.

The National Weather Service said to expect a high today of 72 and a high Saturday of 75 in Coeur d’Alene.

The cruise is open to cars from 1975 and older, with some dating to about 1915. Every year a few people ask to enter a newer car or a motorcycle, or even a classic boat pulled on a trailer, Fender said.

“Some people see that as a parade, and it’s a classic car cruise,” he said.

Car owners pay $10 to join the cruise, with proceeds going to local charities. Since 1991 the car club has donated more than $110,000 to causes in North Idaho and Eastern Washington.

“That’s the heart of Car d’Lane,” Fender said. “Certainly there are the cars, the people, the friendships. But for me, the significant part of the event is the money that it raises for charities.”

The Saturday car show is staged on Sherman and Lakeside avenues from Second to Seventh streets. Last year 450 cars registered for the show. Participants pay a $25 registration fee.

The car club co-hosts Car d’Lane with the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association.