Powerlight Car Show returns for 10th year Saturday

During its nine-year tenure at Knight's Action Park, Greg "Coop" Cooper's Powerlight Abe Lincoln Car Show and Spectacular grew to the point where bigger and bigger spaces were needed to hold all of the vehicles showcased at the event.

Unfortunately, for those driving by seeking a glimpse of the many vintage and modern vehicles at the show, it was somewhat difficult to see, due to the show taking place in the driving range field at Knight's behind the main parking lot, usually filled with cars on a summer Saturday.

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This year for Cooper and organizers of the 10th annual show coming this Saturday to the grounds at Cherry Hills Church, the facilities will provide a much better view of the event for onlookers.

"The big parking lot (at Knight's) kind of blocked the view of the car show," Cooper said. "But the traffic flow along Woodside Road is huge. What we're hoping is that people will show up and find out about this show that didn't know about it before because they didn't see it at Knight's before. They're definitely going to get a full view of the show driving up those two roads."

Festivities kick off Friday at 6 p.m. with a cruise through Springfield starting in the parking lot at the Horace Mann headquarters in downtown and winding through the city from Jefferson to Second Street and MacArthur Boulevard, heading towards Recreation Drive and Chatham Road before ending at Cherry Hills.

Actor Butch Patrick, best known for his role as Eddie Munster in the 1960s TV show, The Munsters, will be grand marshal of the parade and will be a special guest all weekend, showing off his specially designed Munster DRAG-U-LA and his motorcycle, dubbed Eddie Chopper. Patrick will be available for a VIP dinner at Cherry Hills Friday night, with a Q&A session afterwards.

The show itself will open Saturday at 8 a.m., with registration taking place until 10 a.m. Those seeking to display their vehicles can pay $15 to show off their car and $20 to be part of the judging. After 10 a.m., judging entries will be closed, but people can still pay $15 to have their car on the grounds. For spectators of the events on Friday and Saturday there is no charge.

Cooper is excited about how much the event has grown since first coming on the scene in 2013, when about 170 cars gathered at Knight's for the inaugural event - an off-shoot of the popular Powerlight music festival that Cooper hosts each year at the Illinois State Fair and a local radio show of the same name. This year, some 400-plus cars will be featured at the event and with that growth means an opportunity to reach out to a wide variety of audiences through celebrity guest appearances.

"We had Anson Williams (Potsie Weber) from Happy Days," Cooper said. "We also had Ralph Malph (Donny Most). This year, we have Eddie Munster coming in, so that's been a neat little add."

Patrick has plenty of connections to Illinois, having previously resided in Geneseo and having a cousin reside in Springfield. He's also a friend of Cooper's, having been a prior grand marshal for the Route 66 Mother Road Festival cruise – scheduled for Sept. 22 as the kickoff for the 2023 event from the 22nd to the 24th.

Patrick points out that he comes to events like this not for the payday, but because he genuinely enjoys the kind of Americana feel of these festivals. While he's technically working during these shows, it doesn't feel like a job for him.

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it," Patrick said. "There's not enough money to go on the road. I've been to Springfield many times – I love Lincoln, I love the whole Americana, Route 66 kind of thing – for me, it's a fun trip. It's like a working, fun vacation."

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Cooper is more than willing to make full use of the Cherry Hills grounds for the 10th annual event, with a demonstration of a bomb squad robot, a helicopter flyover, a pirate ship courtesy of Doug Knight with pirate cosplayers, a speed painter, a K9 demonstration on the grounds and neon signs courtesy of Ace Sign Co. inside the main church building.

In addition, Cooper said that 14 vintage race cars and at some 20 motorcycles will be on display for those inclined to take a look.

"There's so much fun stuff," Cooper said. "Obviously, we love the large crowd and everything and I think that's what's going to happen here. I've been taking calls from multiple states (and) all over Illinois. My phone's been ringing off the hook all this morning. (There's) just a huge family fun atmosphere and that will present itself easily."

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Powerlight Car Show celebrates 10 years with celebrity, cool rides