Page 210 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2016

THEFINALSAY WOODY
BAILEY
Cruisin’ The Coast Executive Director
Early October on the Mississippi Gulf Coast was much different 20 years ago from what it is today. We used to be a tourist destination without many tourists at that time of year — after Labor Day and before snow bird season. Enter Cruisin’ The Coast.
October 10-13, 1996, saw 374 hot rods and their owners participate in the inaugural Cruisin’ The Coast, showin’ and shinin’ up and down Beach Boulevard. It was the hope of casino operators, community leaders, hoteliers, restaurants and others that “America’s Largest Block Party” would grow and make a name for itself, pulling in car enthusiasts from across the Gulf South, at first, or wherever we could.
Little did we know that as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, “our little car show” would be the single largest special event in the state, having an economic impact of more than $21 million statewide. We will be doing another economic impact study this year that will tell us how much our visitors like not only our event,
but the Gulf Coast. That’s what Cruisin’ The Coast is all about — increasing tourism during a slow time of year. It generates a lot of sales in a lot of places and increases sales taxes that pay for a lot of the services we enjoy the other 51 weeks of the year.
Last year, 7,639 vehicles registered for our event, with untold thousands more spectators and hot rodders coming to enjoy the event and all the Gulf Coast has to offer. This is due in large part not only to our sponsors and the cities and counties that border the Gulf, but because of you, the residents of South Mississippi. Time and again, we hear cruisers talking about how much they enjoy the hospitality and helpfulness of those in our area, from store clerks to wait staff in restaurants to those who pull over to help
a motorist in need. It’s what we do. Of course, a good
shrimp po-boy, some fresh speckled trout and a Barq’s helps a lot, too.
We know full well that Cruisin’ can be a challenge for some of you. It’s harder to get to work or to the store for that gallon of milk or to the barber for your haircut. We work very hard and closely with all county and city law enforcement agencies and first responders to make things work as smoothly as possible. From traffic flow to road closures, it’s a colossal undertaking. We do as much as
we can, but there is always room for improvement. We
ask locals to do a little pre-planning in preparation of the event. Learn a different way to work. Get your haircut earlier. Buy an extra gallon of milk and stay off Highway 90 if you can. Find a great spot, park your car, sit back and let the cruisers run the roads.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the real heart
and soul of Cruisin, the cadre of 600+ yellow-shirted volunteers from 11 local car clubs who do everything from directing traffic to handing out registration packages to jumpstarting a stranded cruiser and putting stamps on thousands and thousands of postcards.
This year should be another record-breaking event. As of early September, we have 6,630 registered vehicles from
40 states, Canada and Australia. “Our little car show” certainly has grown and has helped the Gulf Coast recover, renew and move forward. We are putting our best foot forward and we know you will do the same. I hope you all enjoy Cruisin’ The Coast’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. See you down the road!
210 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • October 2016
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