Nearly 200 Classic Cars Expected in Downtown LG Saturday for Animal Shelter Benefit
The Gardenia E. Janssen Animal Shelter in conjunction with The Crown Bar will host the first annual “Cool Cats and Sly Dogs” Car Show on the Courthouse Square in La Grange this Saturday, Nov. 2.
The organizers expect more than 190 classic cars and trucks to arrive at the Square Saturday morning. The event takes place from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. In addition, there will be a drawing to give away a 1955 Ford F-100 pickup truck.
Amanda and Joe Martin of Martin Bros. Customs, featured on the Motor Trend Original Series “Iron Resurrection,” will bring some of their vehicles and will sell merchandise. Amanda Martin is a foster care provider for a pit bull rescue group. She has helped the local shelter rehome several pit bulls.
All of the events on the Square are free and open to the public Later that night, The Crown Bar will host a Rockabilly Fashion Show with the band The Georges performing live.
Tickets are $25 and that event takes place 7-11 p.m. inside The Crown Bar.
Farmers Market Mixup
The La Grange Farmers Market will also take place on Saturday morning, as it normally does, but it will be moved just off the Square to the 100 block of S. Washington St. to accommodate the car show. At a meeting Monday night, Oct. 28, the La Grange City Council authorized a street closure on S. Washington St. for the Farmers Market.
Vergie Hall, one of the Farmers Market vendors, addressed the Council Monday night and said many of the vendors were unaware of the car show.
“Just the other Saturday a vendor who has only set up a time or two brought an email she received from Main Street about the 190-car show that was going to be on the Square on Nov. 2 and that the Farmers Market would be relocated to Washington St. that Saturday,” Hall said. “We were stunned since none of the rest of us had received that email.”
Hall said some of the vendors start setting up very early on Saturday mornings.
“If we had not been shown the email, we would still not be aware of this situation,” Hall said. “We would have set up there until somebody said, ‘You’ve got to move.’” The City’s Main Street department has coordinated the Farmers Market for many years. Hall said that before the COVID pandemic in 2020, someone from La Grange Main Street would regularly monitor the Farmers Market. That year, then-County Judge Joe Weber ordered the Farmers Market to close over health concerns. In response, the Farmers Market moved out of town to The Jersey Barnyard for a period of time. It has since returned to the Courthouse Square. Since returning, Hall said the vendors have not had much communication with the City.
“There needs to be communication and someone needs to oversee the market,” Hall said. “We are willing to comply with rules and changes, but presently there is no one communicating with us.”
City Manager Jack Thompson apologized for the confusion.