Tricked-out vehicles of the four- and three-wheeled variety will roll through Little Rock this weekend as two clubs come together for a series of events.
Members of A-State Corvette Association and SS22 Little Rock will combine for a parade, party and light show Saturday and a car show on Sunday.
The parade, featuring different models of Corvettes and three-wheeled motorcycles called Slingshots, begins at noon at Little Rock Central High School, 1500 S. Park St., and will proceed on 12th Street to Fair Park Boulevard and then to War Memorial Stadium, where there will be music, food, vendors and children's activities until 3 p.m.
The Shades of Yellow and Red Day Party will follow from 4-8 p.m. at Envy nightclub, 7200 Colonel Glenn Road. Admission is $10.
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Cars, Slingshots and other vehicles will then gather at dusk at Bale Chevrolet, 13101 Chenal Parkway, where owners will show off the flashy after-market lights on their rides.
"It's going to be the largest light show Little Rock has ever had," says Billy Brooks, event coordinator for the Corvette association. "Not only is it Corvettes and Slingshots, but it's also open to other cars, motorcycles, trucks and jeeps."
Sunday's car show, also at Bale Chevrolet, is from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and is open to cars and trucks of all makes and models. Entry is $20. Contact Brooks at (501) 612-7575 for information.
The Corvette group, which has about 85 members, has been around for four years and is part of the International Council of Corvette Clubs.
Brooks says he's looking forward to teaming up with the Slingshot owners.
"When we had the chance for both of our organizations to work on one event, we couldn't pass it up," he says. "It's really going to be a packed day and we want to invite the public to come out and see the Corvettes and Slingshots."
Members of the international council from around the region will be in town for the weekend to hang out with their fellow 'Vette enthusiasts, Brooks says.
The iconic Corvette has been around since General Motors sent the first one off the assembly line in Flint, Mich., in 1953.
Slingshots, which have two wheels up front and one in the back, are a bit younger. Minnesota-based Polaris Industries introduced the first one in 2014.
SS22, which stands for Slingshot and 22-inch wheels, has 68 members statewide. The Little Rock group will host other clubs from around the country this weekend (and no, your Slingshot doesn't have to have 22-inch wheels to belong).
Rodney Dedman and Choca Flood are SS22 members and caught the Slingshot bug last year.
"We went out and test drove them and it was like, let's get these Slingshots," says Flood, who owns a 2018 Slingshot SL. After they got their rides, they started looking for other Slingshot drivers.
"At first, we were Arkansas Slingshot Owners," Flood says. "but then we started meeting other groups in different cities and we branched out."
Cruising down Chenal Parkway with Dedman at the wheel of his 2017, orange and black, five-speed manual SLR model is a mix between motorcycling and riding in a convertible. The two bucket seats are low but comfortable and the ride is surprisingly stable.
Longer drives aren't a problem. Dedman says he has driven his to rendezvous with other Slingshot owners in Dallas and Northwest Arkansas. And if it rains, well, some Slingshots do come with a roof.
Though his daily ride is a pickup, Dedman says his Slingshot is "definitely more fun to drive than a car."
Brooks' first Corvette was a 2000 yellow convertible. He still owns it, along with a 2018 Z06, also a convertible, also in yellow and with a flashy red stripe.
What was it about 'Vettes that attracted him?
"Attention," he says without hesitation. "You can drive a Corvette that's 20 years old and get the same attention as one that's brand new. Sure, you can go buy a Cadillac or a Mercedes and pay more money, but you don't get the attention that you get when you drive a Corvette."
There is talk of the two groups continuing to work together and raising money for nonprofits like the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas and Dorcas House.
"We'd like to bridge the gap with the community," Flood says. "We can showcase what we're doing and then also [help] other organizations."
Weekend on 08/08/2019