classic “care” tour

Philanthropy is priority number one on this annual Nevada car tour.

By NOELLE MACHADO | May/June 2009

Photo: PR (East Ely Railroad Depot)

“High profile, below the radar” is how Gary Davis and Alan “Big Al” Crawley describe the ’Round Nevada Classic Car Tour, due to the prominent characters who have joined the event over the years. There have been Microsoft executives and federal and state judges, but it’s not the names that are important on this journey (in fact, participants are asked not to divulge their last names, and the tour is unaffiliated with a specific club or group). It’s the cause.

The ’Round Nevada Classic Car Tour was started in 2005 by Davis and a small group of friends who wanted to do something different: tour Nevada in their classic cars and put on car shows, but help people at the same time. As they travel to various small towns, they support charitable organizations and give 100-percent access to their vehicles. “They can have sidewalk sales, take pictures, bring in the local car clubs, anything they can derive from the cars they can have. It’s about the benefit that others get from our being there,” Davis says.

The group makes sure to stop at each senior citizens center and share car stories while asking, “What can we do for you?”—never asking for anything in return. Even the $75 entry fee goes to organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, Lions Clubs, or individuals who have fallen on hard times. “We like to do for others when they don’t expect it,” Crawley says. For instance, they’ve bought replacement blanks for a group that put on a re-enactment show for them, funded dental work for seniors, paid for a little girl to go to an educational camp, and purchased furniture for a medical center.

Each year the tour kicks off with a free car show at the Atlantis in Reno called Concours d’Arrogonce. The May 31 event is open to everyone with an American-made 1972 or older vehicle. There is no judging and no classes to enter. “It’s a car show; come show your car,” Davis says.

The yearly turnout for Concours d’Arrogonce is close to 200, and everyone who participates gets an award. This year KOLO Reno weathercaster Dick Stoddard will DJ and play popular ’50s and ’60s music.

There are no ribbons, prizes, or trophies on the ’Round Nevada Classic Car Tour. It’s invite only, and applications are accepted via e-mail. Organizers will pick 75 vehicles to depart the Atlantis on June 1 at 8:30 a.m. (the drivers enjoy a mixer at the Elks Club the night before). “And the tour begins,” Crawley says.

In 2009, instead of traveling around Nevada, the tour will go mostly through California and Oregon. The itinerary for the five-night, six-day tour starts with a charity event at the National Automobile Museum in Reno on Monday morning, June 1. After departing the museum, the convoy heads north through eastern California and southern Oregon. Then the tour returns to California and travels south along the coast before returning to Reno.

Some stops along the way include Susanville, Burney, Klamath Falls, Bob Drake’s Ford Shop in Grants Pass, Cresent City, Eureka, and lunch in the Redwoods. Each stop they make will have some kind of food or snacks and a coinciding charitable event with donations. Remember, there are no rules on the tour. Simply leave one town in the morning and arrive in the next in the evening—you can stop anywhere you wish along the way.

The tour is one of the most unique car events in Nevada. For a group of people like Davis and Crawley, it is about getting your car on the road and enjoying it to the fullest, helping the local communities, and giving back to people who need it most. This tour could not be put on without the help of many dedicated people. Davis and Crawley are thankful for people like Claire Blurton. Blurton is a very special addition to the team. The 81-year old not only handles the registration, she also drives herself every year as a support vehicle and bakes fresh cookies for the dinners.