For 20 years, the people over at Schepel Buick/GMC/Cadillac in Merrillville, Ind. have been putting on a charitable car show. The event, which brings thousands of people from around the region, benefits the Elim Christian Services, a school for handicap children in Palo Heights, Il.
“Our General Manager Tom VanProoyen has devotedly supported and invested in Elim for decades, it’s near and dear to him,” said John Mucha, Event Organizer. “Tom views the event as an opportunity to gain support in Indiana for Elim, allowing clients of Elim to come out and spend time looking at the cars, trucks, and motorcycles and interacting with the other people at the show. This is all about raising money for a great cause and having a venue to interact with each other.”
The Schepel Car Show will take place on Saturday, June 27 at the dealership, located at 3209 W. Lincoln Highway in Merrillville. Registration is from 7:30am to 10:00am and all makes and models are welcome. “We have 28 classes for this show so all cars, trucks and motorcycles are encourage to participate,” he said. “We will give out 100 dash plaques to the first 100 entries. We will give out over 80 awards, 3 in every class. We also give awards for Best Paint, Best Engine, and Best Interior – those trophies are bigger.”
And the BIGGEST award of all is the Dealers Choice, known now as the Larry Jablonski award. The 6-foot-tall trophy is given to person who has the vehicle all the employees vote on as their favorite. “Larry was a mechanic that worked here for years and loved the car show,” explained Mucha. “He passed from cancer and we wanted to honor his love of the show by naming the dealers choice award after him.”
Last year, the Schepel Car Show had 250 participants and Mucha expects this year will be similar, if not greater! Throughout the event, thousands come out to check out the variety of vehicles taking part in the show – and they come in droves! “We have thousands that come out for the event,” said Mucha. “People come from all over and many come back year after year.”
The car show offers a little something for everyone in the family. They will give out free hot dogs, chips, pop and ice cream and the event will feature music all day long, and a balloon artist from Elim who will make great things for the kids. “This event will go on rain or shine – it’s all for the kids,” exclaimed Mucha. “We raised close to $20,000 last year and hope to do the same this year.”
Pre–registration for this event is $20 for the month of May and $25 after June 1st. All proceeds benefit Elim Christian Services. To find out more from Schepel Buick/Cadillac/GMC inquire online at schepel.com or call John Mucha at 219.769.6381.