THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 22, 1996 TAG: 9603200183
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Volunteers and cash donations are needed to help make the second annual Chesapeake Hot Rod Jamoree the success it was last year.
During the event's maiden run, several thousand people enjoyed the daylong car show and live entertainment, helping to raise $10,000 for the Sharon Carey Medical Scholarship Fund.
The event featured cars, live music, food and games.
Organizers are hoping this year's event, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 13 at Chesapeake City Park, will top last year's.
The second annual Chesapeake Hot Rod Jamoree is being sponsored by Chesapeake artist Mark Carey and Sheriff John R. Newhart. The entire event is held to benefit the Sharon Carey Medical Scholarship Fund.
Sharon Carey, Mark's wife, passed away a few years ago after a lengthy and heroic battle with leukemia. To help rid the world of the types of incurable diseases that took Sharon and others away from their loved ones, Mark Carey decided to stage this grand car show and outdoor carnival.
``It has been a dream of mine to establish a medical fund to pay for a student to attend medical school,'' Carey said. ``A medical student has to pay for so much during their time at school and later after school when they have to pay all that money back. This way a student can go to school and concentrate on studies and not worry about how he or she will pay for the schooling. I think that way we get a student focused on medical studies and nothing else. And later we hope one of these students can find a cure or come close to finding a cure for some life threatening disease.''
The fund, which will be administered by the Chesapeake General Hospital Auxiliary, will provide scholarship money to students from Chesapeake or children of employees of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where Carey works as an illustrator.
The more volunteers and cash donations that can be rounded up, the greater chance the scholarship fund has of growing, Carey said.
Carey said volunteers are needed to help clean the park during and after the event, to run errands and to do other tasks.
The event itself will feature a grand car show open to any and all car enthusiasts, including hot rods, custom cars, classic cars, restored cars and new autos.
This year's big news will feature the participation of the Townes Entertainment Group's Monster Car Crushing Show.
Usually monster truck shows pack fans into venues like the Hampton Roads Coliseum, charging spectators $10 or more. But monster car fans can see Bone Shaker, the Car Crushing Harley-Davidson, and Battron, the tank/transformer car crushing robot, for free. All that will be asked of you is to make a substantial donation to the medical scholarship fund, Carey said.
``It will still be cheaper to see the monster truck show here, and you'll be helping a very worthy cause on top of that,'' Carey said.
The all-day event will also feature live music by Roanoke's Fat Daddy and expert, stadium-rattling rocking blues at the hands of Chesapeake's own Bobby Messano and his NBO (New Blues Orchestra).
The upstate New York native was once an integral member of Steve Winwood's touring group and has recorded for or been an in-demand session guitarist for a host of top rock and pop acts.
Other entertainment will include the Chesapeake Bay Cloggers and area favorites High Tide, adept at performing all types of popular music.
Also included will be rappelling by the Chesapeake Fire Department from a 60-feet-high pole, prizes awarded all day long, food vendors selling a variety of treats and lunch foods, antique tractors, a mini-jet and K-9 demonstration by the Air Force along with a variety of health screenings and displays, the Blue Knights motorcycle club, Conte's Bike Shop pro skateboarding team, Gumtree Farms petting zoo, exhibits and information booths, a huge auto flea market and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard's 40-feet-long battleship float.
Carey said last year's event featured over 400 cars and more are expected this year.
``The largest car show in the area last year was the Car Club Council of Hampton Roads' Show, which featured 221 cars,'' Carey said. ``I think we'll be the biggest this year.'' MEMO: More information about the Chesapeake Hot Rod Jamoree or the Sharon
Carey Medical Scholarship Fund is available by calling 543-5373 or by
writing to Hot Rod Jamoree, 1114 Virginia Ave., Chesapeake, Va. 23324.
ILLUSTRATION: File photo
Bobby Messano and his New Blues Orchestra will perform.
by CNB