Source: Longview News Journal - By Sherry P. Shephard sshephard@news-journal.com

Auto enthusiasts looking for something to do this weekend can head over to Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center for the annual Drive to Remember Car Show beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Cameron Williams founded the nonprofit Drive to Remember in 2016, when the first car show took place.

“I started it because my father had Alzheimer’s disease and he passed away from it in 2016,” he said. “I chose to do this as a positive way to deal with that personal loss but also to try to help others dealing with the same thing.”

Williams wanted not only to raise awareness about the disease but to raise funds to help with research.

Proceeds from the Drive to Remember event benefit the East Texas Alzheimer’s Alliance.

“We’ve also funded the Smith County Alzheimer’s Alliance in the past,” he said. “And we’ve donated to the UT Southwestern Medical Research Center for dementia and Alzheimer’s in Dallas, as well.”

Williams said the Cadillac V-Club is the car show’s biggest sponsor.

“This is a car club that is specifically supported by Cadillac headquarters,” he said. “They are a big name in the DFW area, and they have been our biggest sponsor every year.”

Williams said the Drive to Remember Car Show draws people from all over, not just from East Texas.

“We get a lot of people from Dallas and the surrounding DFW area, and we try to bring in very high-end luxury and exotic cars like Lamborghini and Ferrari,” he said. “And we have a lot of very nice classic cars that we showcase as well.”

Also worth mentioning, Williams said, is that Cadillac headquarters in Detroit will have a vehicle at this weekend’s show.

“They will be sending their latest, most powerful car ever produced by Cadillac to showcase at our event,” he said. “The 2022 CT5-V Blackwing is a vehicle arriving in Cadillac dealerships this month.”

On average, Williams said the show brings in 90 to 100 vehicles each year.

“Normally, on average within the five-hour period, anywhere from 500 to 750 people come through for general admission,” he said. “We have had close to 1,000 attendees in prior years."

However, COVID-19 threw a wrench into plans for last year’s show. Instead of an indoor event, the car show was taken outdoors.

“Our local hotel owner at the Holiday Inn … allowed us to have it in their parking lot next to their convention center,” Williams said. “Attendance was better than expected. We had probably 250 people who showed up, which is not a lot, and we had about 70 participants with their vehicles.”

Williams said the goal is to continue the show each year.

“And hopefully we’ll grow it even beyond Longview,” he said. “But for the time being, it’s definitely in the plans to keep it going for the foreseeable future.”