Car club rallies for Project Santa Claus

MICHELLE NOLAN - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Mike Rawls, a longtime Bellingham Realtor, loves to have other agents at Coldwell Banker Miller-Arnason Real Estate ask him about his car club's next rally.

The Whatcom County Sheriff's Association also will have a special interest on Sunday, Nov. 9, when perhaps a hundred mostly classic cars will depart from Chubby's Diner on Meridian Street at 9:30 a.m. and cruise to the Whatcom County Courthouse.

The sheriff's deputies won't be looking for speeders, but they do see money in the near future - the $5,000 or so often raised by Project Santa Claus to benefit underprivileged local families. The car club also awards scholarships to Bellingham Technical College students involved in auto-related fields of study.

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CRUISE FOR A CAUSE
What: 19th annual Project Santa Claus Car Cruise.
When: Begins 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at Chubby's Diner, 4277 Meridian St., and proceeds to Whatcom County Courthouse. Chubby's will open at 7 a.m. for breakfast.
Cost to participate: An unwrapped toy or a cash donation. Dash plaques, raffle prizes and coffee and cookies will be provided at the end of the cruise.
Details: 398-9464 or 380-2733.

This will be the 19th annual Project Santa Claus led by the Fourth Corner Elites of Bellingham, one of Northwest Washington's oldest car clubs. The Ferndale-based Whatcom County Cruisers Association also plays a big role, along with members of other clubs.

Rawls talked about the event along with Fourth Corner Elites President Larry Higman and sergeant-at-arms Del Cochran, also of Bellingham.

Question: This sounds like one of those "boys and their toys" fun events, with the ladies, too.

Higman: It all started when Sandy Lankhaar from Ferndale got things going, seeing the need for a project like this. She still contributes to the show.

Q: It's great to see all those old cars tooling along, isn't it?

Rawls: If weather permits, we'll get 100 cars or more. We get a special police escort. People also come from Skagit County and British Columbia to participate.

Q: What's the cost of cruising?

Rawls: Each car's entry fee is an unwrapped toy or a cash donation.

Cochran: Anyone can participate, but we love to see all those old cars.

Q: Didn't the cruise used to wind up at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal?

Rawls: Yes, but we did our first event at the Courthouse last year, and that's now our destination. We all gather in the Courthouse rotunda at about noon.

Q: What's different about the cruise these days?

Rawls: We're all longtime Bellingham guys and we've seen a lot of change, but we know one thing: People in Bellingham will still step up for a good cause. We have 70 agents at Coldwell Banker and they're always interested in the next Fourth Corner Elites activity.

Higman: We do four charity car shows a year, but we couldn't do it without all the car clubs and other good people, including the Lions Club and all our sponsors. They include Hardware Sales, Fasteners Inc., Fisher & Sons, Little Caesars Pizza and many more.