JERSEYVILLE - The Jerseyville Police Department Eighth Annual D.A.R.E. Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show seems to get larger each year.
The event was held last Sunday at Jersey Community High School and a wide assortment of cars, trucks and motorcycles were displayed. The event was hosted by the Jersey Street Machine Association.

The event featured not only the Street Machine Association’s display, but a hot wheels race track for kids, face painting, food, a silent auction, 50/50, a k-9 demonstration and a dunk tank manned by police, deputies and firefighters. All proceeds benefit the D.A.R.E. program. This provides materials and activities for kids in D.A.R.E. More than 150 were registered for the the show, Jerseyville D.A.R.E. Officer Rich Portwood said.

A vendor space was also included in the display.

“I would like to say thank you to the Jersey County Street Machine Association, particularly Jeff and Kelly Dixon,” Rich Portwood of the Jerseyville Police Department, said. “Jeff is the club president and Kelly is the secretary and I know they devote a lot of hours to the club and this show.  We are very grateful for all the hard work they have put in to this and I'm very grateful for all the work the DARE board puts into the event.  Mark's Appliance is our corporate sponsor again this year and donated $1,600 to offset the costs of putting on the show.  DARE is very fortunate to receive so many generous donations from local businesses which allows us to not only provide the classroom materials for kids but to also provide a fun day for the kids at the end of the year.”

Edwardsville’s Jodi Petersen was an entry in the D.A.R.E. Car Show with her Corvette. The idea for Peterson’s 1965 Corvette Stingray, originally started when her aunt drove one in Florida and got her interested. Peterson thought the car would one day be hers, but when her aunt sold the car, she started looking. After three or four years of searching, she found one.

“There was a frame off restoration done right before I got it and only had to do maintenance on it,” she said. “I love the car.”

Jeff Dixon, president of Jersey County Street Machine Club, said: “We had 150 cars on display today that showed and were judged,” he said. “It doubled our capacity from last year; last year about 80. We had a good day. All the proceeds go to the Jerseyville D.A.R.E. program. Our club basically does stuff throughout the year and raises money for special local charities to help out.  We do two shows a year, cruise-ins once a month, the first Friday at Arby’s and Burger King 5 until 8 p.m. and that is a fund-raiser for food pantries and such. We have 30 members in our club and if counting couples, everybody is almost all a couple, counting husbands and wives together. I have been president for six years. The club started in early 1980s if not 1970s."