Heather Lehman has been a volunteer at 91原创 Cruise-In for almost 20 years now, starting back in 2005 when she was selling hot dogs.
An old high school friend had been involved and he knew that Lehman had a love of classic cars herself 鈥� her father drove a Plymouth Valiant when she was young 鈥� and "he roped me in," she said.
But 11 years ago, she started a new phase of her work with the annual car show, when she took over responsibility for organizing the teams of volunteers who make the entire operation run.
Each part of the show requires its own crew of volunteers 鈥� staging, registration, crewing the barricades where streets are blocked off, and the parking crew are some of the larger ones.
In all, each show requires between 80 and 100 volunteers. Some, however, will only be needed for part of the day.
"They're not all full-day, Lehman promised.
Many of the volunteers are car buffs.
"Why do they do it? I think the same reason as me, the passion for old cars," Lehman said.
Other volunteers take part because the Cruise-In gives back to them. Soccer teams, dragon boat crews, and folks from Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association are among the local charities and non-profits that have been given donations by the Cruise-In over the years. Their members often work in teams on specific stations during the day.
That's the other major reason Lehman and many volunteers do what they do, she said. They get a chance to give back to the community. As an entirely volunteer-driven organization 鈥� all the directors are also volunteers 鈥� the Cruise-In gives every dollar it makes back to community projects and charities.
After the event, the Cruise-In volunteers take part in a dinner together, Lehman said.
One volunteer will be singled out this year, although he is no longer able to take part.
Kelly James Linton recently passed away after a long battle with cancer. He had volunteered for five years while fighting the disease.
"He's going to be very missed," Lehman said.
For this year's Cruise-In, there are still spots available to help out. Get in touch with organizers at .
"I'm always looking for volunteers 鈥� especially experienced ones," Lehman said.
She's not above wrangling up family members, including both her son and daughter.
Volunteering for the car show is a positive experience, Lehman has found.
"Everybody's generally pretty happy, because they're so passionate about their vehicles."
