On Saturday, July 12, car enthusiasts across the U.S. will celebrate Collector Car Appreciation Day, a nod to America’s love for classic cars, hot rods and the cruising culture surrounding them.
The day was established in 2010 by the Specialty Equipment Market Association and its grassroots SEMA Action Network. Now, the event has grown into a nationwide tribute to the preservation of collector cars and their significance in American culture.
The second Friday in July was even declared by Congress as Collector Car Day, and the entire month of July as Collector Car Appreciation Month.
Over The Hill Gang, a car group in Cortez, will mark the occasion with a poker-style cruise through Montezuma County in the afternoon and a live radio broadcast cruise along Main Street in the evening in partnership with the Community Radio Project.
The event, expected to draw car enthusiasts and community members, will feature two 54-mile scenic loops.
Registration begins in the morning, with the first car departing at 12:30 p.m. Participants can choose between two routes. The east loop follows U.S. Highway 160 to Mancos, then returns via Colorado Highway 184 to Dolores, continuing to U.S. Highway 491 and back to Cortez. The west loop heads along U.S. 160, connects to U.S. 491 for a 10-mile stretch to Colorado 184, then proceeds to Dolores, Mancos and returns to Cortez via U.S. 160.
Anyone can participate in the event, not just those who own collectible cars.
“You just have to have a vehicle,” Robert Valencia told The Journal. “It’s open to anybody.”
This isn’t the first time an automotive event has been held in the Montezuma region. In 2010, the Blue Star Mothers of America Southwest Chapter launched the Georges Geer Memorial Car Show, which featured a 54-mile cruise through the county. Before that, the Run to the Ruins cruise took participants to Mesa Verde National Park.
In 2012, the Geer car show made history by hosting, what is believed, to be the nation’s first radio broadcast cruise in collaboration with KSJD. The classic film “Two-Lane Blacktop” was screened at the Sunflower Theatre during that time. The show and cruise continued until 2019.
“Collector cars and cruising are a phenomenon like no other, copied around the world but born right here in America,” Over the Hill Gang said.
More details can be found by visiting the Over the Hill Gang – Cortez Facebook page.
