Close to 400 classic vehicles are expected to rumble into Bendigo next week for the 15th Annual Midstate Mopars Show and Shine.
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Various models of Chrysler, Valiant, Dodge Plymouth and Desoto from around Australia will be in town over the Queen's Birthday weekend for the second largest gathering of Chrysler vehicles in the southern hemisphere.
It will be the first time the event has been held in three years after cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two-day event begins on Saturday, June 11 with a 'super cruise' from Lake Weeroona to Heathcote for that town's 'Heathcote on Show' event.
Sunday, June 12 is the show and shine event with the cars lined up on display around the Bendigo Town Hall precinct, taking over Lyttleton Terrace, St Andrews Avenue and Hargreaves, Mundy, Bull and Hopetoun streets.
Central Victorian Chrysler Club is organising the event and club committee member Brendan Ruiter said they had already received entries from as far as Adelaide and Sydney.
"We have 150 to 160 cars pre-entered," he said.
"The other two Chrysler shows in Victoria have been cancelled so we're expecting between 350 and 400 cars which would be the biggest one (event) for us."
Mr Ruiter said the Midstate Mopars was a not-for-profit event which has raised $61,220 for local charities since its inception.
This year the club is planning to donate $5000 to cancer services at Bendigo Health as the main beneficiary. Other organisations to have benefited from the event over the years include St Johns Ambulance, local CFA and SES units, Bendigo Autism Resource Centre, Kids Ward Bendigo Hospital and Camp Quality.
COVID-19 restrictions saw the event cancelled in 2020 and in 2021 although a small donation was able to be made last year to the local heart foundation.
"Last year we had a tier two COVID plan approved twice," Mr Ruiter said.
"The event was postponed in June to Fathers Day in September but that was when (Victorian Premier) Dan Andrews announced a one-week lockdown.
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"We then heard it was going to be four weeks so we had to cancel.
"We had 170 cars pre-entered so we had to refund all the entry money and send out the shirts and merchandise."
After the cruise on Saturday afternoon, the club will host a dinner and live band at the All Seasons resort from 6pm.
Sunday's show and shine begins at 8pm on the Sunday and winds up with the cheque donations to local charities and trophy presentations at 2pm.
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