The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Twenty years ago this week, the Dayton Chamber of Commerce attempted an experiment. They decided to hold a car show on Main Street.

Dayton's Main Street had recently undergone a complete reconstruction, from the new water and sewer lines to the tops of the new trees and light poles. It was the pride of the city, and the Chamber wanted to show it off.

Dayton's State Farm Agent, Bette Lou Crothers, was already a 10-year veteran on the Chamber board, and she agreed to head up the committee to try to figure out how to put on the show. She put together a committee of committed community members, some of whom have worked on the event every year since.

"We wanted the 'Show and Shine' along our beautiful new Main Street," she told me this week. "We weren't going to do it unless we could close off the street for the day."

Crothers said that many people told her that there was no way the state of Washington would let her shut a portion of a state highway down like that for a silly car show.

"In my letter to the DOT I reminded them that our Main Street had recently been shut down for six months, with traffic detoured around the construction," she said. "I told them, 'I think Dayton knows how to detour traffic.' I got my approval three days later and the show was on."

The Chamber chose Fathers Day weekend for the event. It was held Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17, 1995.

The week before the show was a nervous time. "It rained all week leading up to the show," Crothers said. "On Thursday, a car club in Cheney that had been planning to come down called and cancelled because of the weather. I was sure we were dead."

A lot was riding on the show. Crothers said that the board had budgeted $3,500 for the event, but she ended up spending twice that.

"The board president was furious, but I didn't know how much things cost," she said. "We bought T-shirts and hats and that kind of stuff, and they're expensive. But I was sure we could sell them."

The weather came through for Dayton that year. "It was kind of drizzly on Friday morning, but around noon the skies cleared and the sun came out," Crothers said.

That night, the cars began arriving and the sidewalks filled with people. Classic cars cruised Dayton's Main Street all evening. "The sidewalks were crowded from end to end," she said. "It brought tears to my eyes."

The Saturday Show and Shine exceeded expectations. "We were hoping to get 50 cars," she said. "We ended up with 130."

And so a car show was born. Crothers said the show ended up clearing about $10,000. "That was more than our annual budget for the year."

And yes, she got her apology from the board chief.

This weekend, on the 20th anniversary of the first All Wheels Weekend event, Dayton will hold its 21st annual AWW. (Those of you who are good at math will understand how that works.)

Crothers has been the leader for each one, and they've gotten bigger and better each year. (Well, mostly.) Last year, the weather let us all down, but the 20th annual show was still a big success.

Sunny skies and moderate temperatures are forecast for this weekend, so come downtown Friday night and Saturday, and enjoy the show.

And hats off to Bette Lou Crothers and her awesome All Wheels Weekend committee for putting on a great show year after year.