Cruisin’ for Culinary

Cruisin’ for Culinary brings a car show to Hall Park in Riverside, Iowa, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 1. All makes, models and conditions are welcome, from rust to chrome.

Drivers roll in at 10 a.m. and stop at the check-in table for a car number before parking along S. Ella St. from the barn south. Parking is on pavement only because the grass is too wet. Chef coats mark the crew handling tickets and donations.

Vote tickets are sold at the check-in table: $1 buys one and $5 buys six. Voters write a car number on a ticket and drop it in the cup for their chosen category, and they can vote as many times as they like. The Misgivings play live acoustic music at 10:30 a.m., and food trucks are planned.

Voting closes at 12:30 p.m. and winners are announced at 12:45 p.m. Categories are Rustiest & Crustiest for the most rust, Chrome & Shine for the cleanest and shiniest ride, Kids’ Pick voted on by kids only, and Chef’s Pick chosen by Chef Cody. After the show, participants head down Highway 22 to Kalona on their own.

The event is a send-off for the Highland Culinary Initiative, a free after-school program where Highland students learn to cook real food and the life skills that come with it, supported by Highland Community School District. Every dollar raised goes to the initiative to feed students and outfit them with the gear they need. A $200 sponsorship outfits one Highland student with a chef coat, knife kit and gear for the year; sponsors get their name on a student’s knife roll, a handwritten thank-you from their apprentice chef and a shout-out at the awards. Fourteen students need sponsors.

Clocks fall back the morning of the event, so attendees should check the time before arriving.