By LORI KERSEY
Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A concert by a KISS tribute band and celebrity appearances by the host of a car television show are two of the highlights of the 12th annual Charleston Boulevard Rod Run and Doo Wop, slated for Oct. 4-8.
(Gazette-Mail file photo)
The classic car show will kick off Wednesday, Oct. 4, with its annual cruise-in, which for the first time this year will be at Cabela’s at the Southridge shopping center, said Lloyd McIntire, vice president of marketing for the event.
Dressed To Kill — The Ultimate KISS Tribute Band, which will perform Saturday, is one of several bands to perform at the Rod Run.
“That may draw a bunch of people downtown,” McIntire said.
Other bands at the event will include The Esquires on Thursday night, Audio Outlaws on Friday and Crimson Conspiracy II, which will perform before Dressed to Kill on Saturday.
Lou Santiago, host of “Car Fix” and the former host of “MuscleCar,” will be the celebrity guest for the weekend and is scheduled to make appearances Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
This year, participants are also encouraged to bring toys for a Christmas toy drive collected by the Golden Oldies car club. Last year, the event collected coats for those affected by the June 2016 flood, McIntire said.
“We may get enough toys for every kid in the Valley,” McIntire said. “I don’t know.”
Organizers of the festival say the Rod Run is the third largest festival in the state.
“If it’s a pretty week, we’ll have in excess of 100,000 people show up for the event,” McIntire said. “If it rains like it has the last couple years, that’s a different story.”
Alisa Bailey, president and CEO of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau, said estimating the size of crowds at events that aren’t ticketed is difficult, but the Rod Run typically draws participants from all over the United States.
The CVB conservatively estimates that the event typically features 900 cars and has a $2 million economic impact on the area.
“It’s an excellent event — one of West Virginia’s most unique events for the number of cars we have entered in it,” Bailey said.
McIntire said it’s a common misconception that the Rod Run is organized to raise funds for a local car club. The event began 12 years ago as a way to promote tourism in the Kanawha Valley, he said. People come from all over, he said. As of Thursday, more than 550 people had registered for the classic car show, McIntire said. Registration will continue through the event.
“Last year we had cars registered from 17 states and Canada,” McIntire said.
For a complete schedule for the Rod Run, or to register, see http://www.charlestonwvcarshow.com/
Reach Lori Kersey at [email protected], 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.
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