10th annual car show to return to Fraser VFW Post

FRASER — The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6691 in Fraser is inviting the public to rev their engines for a good cause with its 10th annual car show.

Debbie Scheetz, the event’s head organizer, said the car show began as a way to raise money for local efforts supporting the Wreaths Across America initiative, which honors veterans.

“It started 10 years ago so we could raise money for Wreaths Across America,” said Scheetz. “We needed money to put wreaths on the graves of veterans, which is a nationwide initiative on the second Saturday of every December done by groups like the VFW. My dad had been fixing up classic cars all his life, and I was talking with him about how it could be a good way to get people involved and it started with that.”

The show will take place 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, at the VFW Hall at 17075 Anita Drive in Fraser. The cost to enter a vehicle is $15 if completed by Aug. 29. It is $20 afterward and can be paid the morning of the car show.

The car show still supports Wreaths Across America, and all proceeds from the event will go toward the efforts to place wreaths at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township Dec. 17.

“We not only want people to support remembering the veterans who have died for us — they did so much for us to give us the freedoms we have — we want to teach everyone to honor and respect our veterans,” said Scheetz. “There are 20 to 30 organizations who come together to put wreaths down on Dec. 17, and several kids groups are invited to attend and learn about veterans.”

Numerous Fraser-area residents have taken part in the car show over the last decade, with many saying it is a yearly highlight for them in the local community.

“My boyfriend’s father was a prisoner of war and belonged to the VFW. When they started doing the car shows, we wanted to attend,” said Fraser resident Doris Oleski. “I have a 1963 T-Bird that we bring every year. My boyfriend, Kenneth Stovel, has a 1969 Newport that he enters. I love the camaraderie and swapping stories and seeing all of the different cars and why their owners got them.”

Scheetz says the car show has grown since its first year and has been a big hit in Fraser.

“It started out with 62 cars the first year and now we average 115,” she said. “We are expecting to raise between $5,000 or $6,000, and we started out only making about $2,000. That now equates to about 700 to 900 wreaths we can put on the graves.”

The car show also will include music, food, drinks and some other attractions to liven up the festivities.

“We have a rummage sale, a bake sale, we are recruiting new members for the VFW and auxiliary. There are some fun raffles too,” said Scheetz.

Trophies will be awarded for some of the best cars in the show at 2 p.m. This includes categories such as best car, best truck, best street rod, people’s choice, and best entry by era.

Oleski encourages others to attend since it is a fun way to help support local veterans and their families.

“It’s to help veterans with Wreaths Across America, and I think anything that helps veterans is something we should be supporting. It’s always a great event, and it gets bigger every year,” she remarked. “So many different car clubs attend, and there are trophies for those who entered. You get a warmhearted feeling when they play the national anthem and know you’re doing something to help veterans.”