Citizens are getting used to the wide assortment of chrome displayed by the Central Alabama Rodders Society, a car organization that has made a habit of descending on downtown Jasper over the last few years. This coming Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the local nonprofit will host its 14th such event, where hundreds of makes and models, displayed by proud owners, will flex their muscle and astound children and adults alike. 

Though many of vehicles on display this Saturday will stretch across the spectrum of decades (you may behold anything from a Model-T to a Trans Am), Alan Clark, who runs a local locksmith business and is a member of C.A.R.S., stresses the event is “open” and not limited to antique or classic cars—anyone can bring any type of vehicle they please. “We’ll have pickup trucks. We’ll have old tractors. We’ll have mini-trucks, four-wheel drive trucks. Someone might even bring a motorcycle or two. You never know. Everybody has different tastes,” says Clark. 

The family-friendly event has become a local favorite, as attendees are free to stroll through the streets to peruse the shiny hodgepodge of automotive distinction while taking a walk down memory lane. 

“Just seeing all the people,” Clark says, when asked what is special about the event. “You’ll see so many different people down here. You’ll have kids, you’ll have grandpaws walking around telling their grandkids what they had when they were a kid. Just seeing (the kids’) eyes light up.” 

Reserved parking is for sponsors and club members only. Admission to the event is free and a total of $5,000 in cash will be given away, with a cash drawing every 15 minutes. 

Clark hopes that the club is helping others to appreciate the craftsmanship of automotive manufacturing, but also helping to pass on the interest of working on cars and trucks to the next generation. 

 “The thing about cars…it always amazed me…you’ve got hundreds, if not thousands of parts to vehicles that all have to work together for you to go another mile down the road. 

“We are just trying to keep the hobby alive,” he says. 

For more information on the event or how to become a club member, please call Glenn Ferguson (205) 544-0844, Bob Jent (205) 275-7881, or Jimmy Robinson (205) 385-3331. 

Photos by Al Blanton