The first annual car show was a big success last year. Hundreds of cool cars will be on display this year.
Photo by Ron Brohm
“> The first annual car show was a big success last year. Hundreds of cool cars will be on display this year. Photo by Ron Brohm
By Ron Brohm
Contributing columnist
Urbana is becoming quite the Mecca for really good car shows; with great car clubs in town and plenty of car enthusiasts, it’s no wonder.
So, how many car shows can you think of where you can attend a car show and also go swimming at a beach, go fishing and go camping? I can only think of one and it’s coming to Urbana and it’s the 2nd Annual Matt Hadden Memorial Show on Sunday, June 8 at Rittenhouse Resort at 4739 Woodville Pike, northwest of Urbana.
But there’s even more to this year’s show. The famous life-size Hot Wheels car will be at this car show with its generous owner, Xenia businessman Mike Moore, known in area car show circles as the “Hot Wheels Guy.”
Over the last four years Moore has remarkably given out over 20,000 free Hot Wheels cars to kids while his car is on display at car shows.
He just purchased 30,000 more Hot Wheels cars and hopes to eventually bring the total Hot Wheels cars given out for free to 50,000.
Moore has been a car guy his entire life.
From racing his Dodge Dart Swinger in the 1970s to running a 1/2 Scale Rails Top Fuel team at Kil-Kare Speedway, Moore has always been involved with cars in some way.
Moore has a collection of several show vehicles which includes a ’41 Rat Rod with surfboards on top, a ’97 C5 Corvette, a 2001 Chevy Silverado 8.1 with a brushed aluminum wrap, and two motorcycles – an ’06 Harley Cholo and a 2000 custom built Ridget Chopper which is a tribute to his dad.
His sixth vehicle is like no other though – it’s a Hot Wheels VW.
And that’s when the real fun started.
Recently Moore gave away more than 1,000 Hot Wheels cars at the Holiday for Homes Car Show in Kettering. Kids not only love getting a free car from Moore but they love to jump in his life-size Hot Wheels car and sit behind the wheel in the driver’s seat and get photos taken by their parents.
Moore loves to make his hobby a family affair and routinely has his grandkids, Alainah and Landon, attend and help him at the car shows.
“They just love it,” he said.
Moore’s company, LDC Services LLC, has allowed him to be charitable and generous with his good fortunes.
“Well, my company only has one client so, I really don’t have a marketing budget so I like to use those funds to help support the local car shows and good causes,” he said.
Each year he gives away approximately 5,000 Hot Wheel cars to kids for free.
Moore’s generosity doesn’t stop there, though.
“I really like to also do sponsorships for non-profit car shows and good causes that need a little financial help,” Moore said. In fact, every year Moore supports various car shows, a race car, and a fast-pitch girls softball team, just to mention a few.
One car show Moore sponsors is Riverside’s Rockin’ Rods Car Show & Community Festival, which was recently named the “Car Show of Year.” His Hot Wheels car was the star of the show.
“That car has been a whole lot of fun,” Moore said. “Recently my granddaughter, Alainah, and I were asked to bring the Hot Wheels car to a parade in Morrow, Ohio, and we passed out over 400 little Hot Wheel cars to the kids. It was a great time and the little ones at the parade really loved my life-size Hot Wheels car and also all the little Hot Wheel toy cars we threw out into the crowd.”
So be sure to mark you calendars for the 2nd Annual Matt Hadden Memorial Show on Sunday, June 8 – it’s gonna have it all!
This year’s event is again sponsored by the Urbana Cruisers and when it comes to cars, the Urbana Cruisers know how to put on a great car show. They also like giving back to the community, and really shine there also.
The car show starts at 10 a.m. and admission is free for spectators, family and friends, and if you want to register a car in the show it’s only $10, rain or shine.
Daily activities such as fishing and swimming will be available at a nominal charge. Camping will also be available. Music for the event will be provided by DJ Cartunes by Chuck. There will also be auctions, raffles, a 50/50 drawing and a Driver’s Pot.
Awards will be presented at 4:30 p.m. and will include: Best of Show and Top Car Club. There will be “Top of Each Class Awards” in the following categories:
Top of Each Class Awards
• Muscle Car
• Motorcycle
• All Original 20s & 50s
60s & 70s
80s and Newer
• Top Jeep
• Veteran Car
• Top 40
Ron Brohm is an Outdoors, Tourism, Parks, Automotive & Aviation Journalist/Author and writes for the Urbana Daily Citizen and other AIM Media Midwest newspapers and several national magazines. He is also a Certified Parks & Recreation Professional (CPRP), serves as the Park Commissioner for the City of Riverside & is the Executive Director of the Great Ohio Outback Wilderness Regional Authority.
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