The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON – Friday will mark the beginning of Dayton’s 23rd annual All Wheels Weekend festivities. The events showcase many classic automobiles of all makes and models, and brings as many as 400 participants some years.

Early registration will be held Friday from 4- 7 p.m. at the corner of First and Main Streets. An optional scenic cruise around the area is held during the afternoon.

The band “Cruise Control” will perform at Second and Main from 6 - 9:30 p.m., coinciding with the presentation of cars from 7:30 - 9 pm in the HomeStreet bank parking lot.

Morning registration is on Saturday morning from 7 - 10 a.m. The Show & Shine, which is possibly the most popular event during All Wheels Weekend, begins at 9 am and goes all day, ending at 4 p.m. A tribute to the flag will be held at 9:30 a.m.

The Show & Shine usually brings around 380 or more cars on average, event chair Bette Lou Crothers said during an interview following All Wheels last year. She added that rainy weather last year lowered this number to about 270.

A “Poker Walk” event sponsored by Dingle’s of Dayton will start at First and Main at 10 a.m. This will also be the time that the Outlaw Lawn Dragsters start racing at the corner of Third and Main. The races are sponsored by Columbia REA. The famous “Men’s Drag Races,” sponsored by Northwest Business Services, will start at 2 p.m. near Second and Main.

The “How Many Can You Name?” game will take place at the Wenaha Gallery from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday. Participants can drop in to find 12 photos of dashboards and identify the make and model of car. A drawing for a model car will be held at 3:15 and goodie bags will be given to the top 10 car identifiers. Must be present to win.

There will be many activities for youngsters downtown throughout the day, including Big Top the Clown. Big Top was formerly part of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Red Unit Circus, according to his website. He has operated out of Tri-Cities since 2005, and is well-known in the Pacific Northwest.

Food and merchandise vendors will also be present downtown during the day.

Immediately following the completion of the Show & Shine, an awards presentation will begin at the Dayton Historic Depot at 4 p.m.

The main attraction Saturday evening will be the Demolition Derby, which begins at 5 p.m. at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. The fairgrounds will be open for practice and qualifying for the derby at 3 p.m.

The beer garden at the fairgrounds will open at 3 p.m. Multiple food, drink, and merchandise vendors will operate at the fairground during the proceedings.

Sunday opens with a Father’s Day Breakfast provided by Skyline Juniors at the fairgrounds, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. The main event on Sunday is the golf tournament at the Touchet Valley Golf Course next to the fairgrounds. The first tee time is scheduled for 9 a.m. The tournament is sponsored this year by Chief Spring’s Fire & Irons Brew Pub, and will also host a $10,000 putting contest.

Weather is somewhat a concern for Friday, as the National Weather Service has forecasted a chance for showers throughout the day and into the evening. Usually, events still happen through inclement weather as long as the weather does not create danger for participants and spectators.

More information on All Wheels Weekend, including a schedule and how to register, can be found at allwheelsweekend.com.