By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – American writer E.B. White, author of “Charlotte’s Web”, once said, “Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car.” For some people, cars and trucks are utilitarian. They get us from place to place. For other people, they are a lifestyle.
This past weekend, I attended the Cruise the Smokies Cherokee Spring Rod Run which is an event I try to make annually because it is truly awesome. I am not a car guy by any stretch of the imagination. I’m a sports guy.
Vintage cars filled up the old Cherokee High School site in Cherokee, N.C. on the weekend of April 25-26 for the annual Cruise the Smokies Cherokee Spring Rod Run. As of the afternoon of Saturday, April 26, there were 459 vehicles registered for the event. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
I can recite stats and history on a bevy of sports, but I couldn’t tell you the difference between this car and that car or even what most of the parts are, honestly.
But, I really enjoy going to the Rod Run each year because of the atmosphere. Everyone is incredibly nice and welcoming and willing to share their stories of their vehicles with anyone – even people like me who know very little and probably ask a lot of odd questions.
The mission statement of the Cherokee Rodders sums up their welcoming attitude. “At Cherokee Rodders, we strive to provide a unique and unforgettable experience for all registered Car Show participants. Our mission is to bring together like-minded individuals to enjoy two days of viewing fantastically restored classic automobiles, renewing old friendships and the possibility of winning fabulous monetary prizes and trophies. In addition, we want our spectators to enjoy the experience of seeing such fabulous automobiles.”
Charles Bryson, Cherokee Rodders chairperson, told the One Feather on Saturday, “What we try to do is we try to give back to the community as much as possible…we want to give back to the people that come to the show. So, as you register, as you come in and buy tickets for anything, everything we do we give back. Once we pay the bills – the electric bill, the light bill, the insurance, things like that – we take the rest of that pot and give it back to our participants. We figure out ways, we draw cards, we play all kinds of games, and all kinds of cool stuff that we do just to give back.”
He added, “At the end of the day, if we make a dollar, we’re going to give that dollar away. That’s kind of our motto.”
Calloway Ledford, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from Cherokee, N.C., told us he loves going to car shows. “We do a lot of local shows like Franklin and Maggie Valley…we like the camaraderie, other people, interesting cars.”
The event this past weekend was very well-attended, and as of the afternoon of Saturday, April 26, there were 459 vehicles registered for the event.
It truly is a wonderful event for Cherokee.
If you missed the Spring Rod Run, you can catch the group’s Fall Rod Run scheduled for Oct. 17-18 which will mark 25 years that this event has been held in Cherokee, N.C.
For more information on this wonderful group and events, visit: https://cherokeerodders.com
