Page 166 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2022

CRUISIN’ THE COAST LETTER FROM THE
Director
Woody Bailey
Vice Chairman & Executive Director
Hello everyone,
Thanks to all of you who made our 25th Anniversary Celebration such a great success. From participants
to volunteers, entertainers to first responders, our cities, counties, and the state of Mississippi, all played a part in what was quite possibly the best little car show ever!
In case you missed it, we had 9,496
registered vehicles participate. They came from 45 states and Canada to our beautiful Gulf Coast. Of those who registered, 1,771 were first timers; that speaks volumes about the word-of- mouth advertising you give to us. Thanks!
The week started a little soggy, but rebounded
into nothing short of ideal weather. Blue skies,
bright sunshine and calm gulf waters made
that drive along Highway 90 spectacular. We hope you enjoyed it and put many, many miles on your rides.
From most accounts, you enjoyed yourselves. Outstanding bands played during the week and on Fantastic Friday, bringing another level of entertainment to our sites. The parade, flame thrower and burn out events were well attended and much enjoyed. Smiling faces and cheers from the crowds echo your appreciation.
Our Super Saturday concert and fireworks event put icing on the cake, which we didn’t have enough of. We thought only a few hundred would attend. From the stage, it looked like nearly 2,000 of you were there. We’ll get a bigger cake this year!
We are very pleased to tell you that raffle ticket sales on the ’57 Chevy convertible went well. Because of your support, we were able to present Make-A-Wish with a donation of $35,000, plus a bonus donation of $5,000 for a total of $40,000.
Again, thank you all for coming to South Mississippi and sharing your ride and good times. The 26th edition of Cruisin’ is right around the corner, so don’t wait too long to get registered. Who knows what we have up our sleeves!
166 | September 2022 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living