Shelbys return to JC this week

Shelbys will be on display this week as the annual Shelbyfest returns to Jefferson City.

The 10th annual Shelbyfest is set to return Wednesday, when the cars will begin to arrive for events scheduled from Thursday through Saturday.

The event got its start after six Shelby owners met in 2006 in St. Louis to get to know each other and show off their cars. The first official Shelbyfest started in Hermann in 2007, but facing some growing pains, founder and event coordinator Kyle Caraway decided to move the event to Jefferson City starting in 2015.

“Jeff City is our new home,” Caraway said. “Jeff City has been incredible.”

The event will feature hundreds of Mustangs along High Street and toward Capitol Avenue. Carraway said the event has grown substantially since its inception, drawing people from as far away as Alaska and Canada and becoming one of the premiere Mustang events.

Though cars will begin arriving Wednesday, Shelbyfest truly kicks off Thursday morning, with autocross from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. at the Hyde Park Fire Training Facility and a country cruise set to begin at 4 p.m. from the Walmart parking lot at 401 Supercenter Drive.

Caraway said Thursday will end with a Cinco de Mayo party at the Millbottom that is open to the public.

On Friday, autocross again will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hyde Park Fire Training Facility, followed by another country cruise at 4 p.m. And Friday night, Caraway said, will be the “big public blowout.” A charity cruise-in will be held on McCarty Street outside of the Capitol Plaza Hotel, with live music from Five Turn Knot. All proceeds going to benefit the American Cancer Society. Caraway said they hope to raise $10,000.

Caraway said the cruise-in is open to all makes and models, whether its a Chevy Pontiac or a Honda. Food and beer will be served and raffle tickets will be available for three different prizes, including tickets for four to a private suite at a Cardinals game, a three-night stay in Las Vegas and a special “Ford Sky Box” package to the Barrett Jackson auction of the winner’s choice.

Saturday, which Caraway calls “the main show,” will feature the official Shelbyfest show from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and spectators are able to check it out for free. Shelbyfest winds down with the internal awards banquet and private party Saturday night.

According to the event website, last year’s Shelbyfest, the first in Jefferson City, attracted 660 cars from 28 states and 15,000 people. With this year being the event’s 10th anniversary, Caraway said they could see an even larger turnout, noting the event was advertised all over the state and through social media.

“We’ve had people that have emailed and called that had actually never heard of the show before,” Caraway said. “The fact that people are coming out of the woodwork and wanting to be a part of the event now is really encouraging.”

Caraway said he hopes restaurants in downtown Jefferson City are ready for the crowds, noting several restaurants ran low or completely out of certain items during last year’s event.

“We ran Jimmy Johns out of food twice, Subway closed their doors,” Caraway said. “Hopefully, they stocked up this year … We think it’s going to be amazing.”