LA GRANDE — The annual Crazy Days Classic Car Show this past weekend transformed downtown La Grande into an auto museum and attracted about 500 visitors.

The three-day show runs the third weekend in July and attracts retro car owners from Oregon, Washington and Idaho. One car enthusiast came from Colorado to participate in the event, hosted by Timber Cruisers Car Club of La Grande.

Temperatures that hit 97 degrees didn’t seem to cool turnout at the event, with more than 130 vehicle owners registered.

The event kicked off on Friday, July 19, with a ride around Riverside Park and included club dinners and a car display that shut down Adams Avenue from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 20. Members of the community enjoyed live music and food from local vendors in addition to exploring a sea of restored cars. Hoods of the cars were propped open so that attendees could gawk at their rebuilt engines.

After 15 years of organizing the show, Arlen and Mary Ann Meisner said this is their final year, as they plan to pass the work to other volunteers. Administrative tasks begin as early as January to prepare for the event, which included over 40 volunteers clad in bright green shirts this year.

Mary Ann Meisner tracks and records all registered vehicles and said the oldest vehicle in this year’s show was a 1933 Ford Roadster. The Roadster also won the “best of show” title.

To sign up for Crazy Days, car owners pay a $35 fee, each registered participant gets gift cards to help pay for meals at restaurants. Meisner said this is all part of a bigger effort to support local vendors and pump revenue back into the community.

Volunteer judges decide the winners of the 18 categories and 40 awards that come with trophies.

One car enthusiast who attended, Shelby Dole, has been restoring cars since he was about 12 years old. Dole drove his 1975 Volkswagen Beetle into town from College Place, Washington. He discovered Crazy Days when visiting another car show some years ago and says he would never pass up coming out for the La Grande event.

“I never exclude this car show,” Dole said. “I come to it every year. It’s the best one I’ve ever been to.”

He said he particularly enjoys the number of affiliated events and the efforts of local merchants and organizers in putting on the show.

Dole said the chance to view rare vehicles makes car shows special. Oftentimes manufactured parts become unavailable for mature vehicles making restoration a real challenge.

Another participant, Rod Graves from Imbler, has owned his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro since he was 14.

“I’ve had the car longer than I’ve had my wife,” Graves said.

Graves enjoys being a part of the car community and echoed Dole’s rave review of the Crazy Days car show.

The car show sponsor, the Timber Cruisers Car Club, each year donates proceeds from a raffle to local nonprofits. This year, Meisner said, two local organizations will be splitting $1,200 from the raffle. (She said the donations would be a surprise to the organizations, and so declined to identify them on the record.)

Two local motorcycle clubs also tabled at the event this year — Bikers’ Against Child Abuse and Tribe MC.

Tribe MC was selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a 2004 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide motorcycle; funds will help support an event in which members give presents to needy families in the community. Tickets were $75 each. Just 200 tickets will be sold. The winning ticket will be drawn in August.

It’s not necessary to enter a car to enjoy the show – many people come to town for the day to simply observe the Saturday display, such as James and Lorcinda Johnston of La Grande. The couple particularly like learning about the different stories behind each restored vehicle.

“I think a lot of the owners did a good job this year, telling the story of their cars,” Lorcinda Johnston said.

The event wrapped up on Sunday morning at Safeway, with a coffee and doughnuts meet, followed by one final car ride around town.

“It seems like every year this show gets bigger and nicer cars,” James Johnston said. “It’s nice to see everybody’s hard work they put into their cars.”

“It brings people into town, of course, it’s good for local business, but also, it just helps keep your community together,” he said.