By Jim Newell

Review Editor

Downtown Lake Orion, a warm summer day and classic cars aligned creating a perfect day for the Golling Buick GMC annual Kids & Kops charity car show on Saturday.

The car show featured nearly 200 classic vehicles – trucks, hot rods, muscle cars, sedans and antiques – the Lake Orion police officers, music from emcee Rockin’ Ronnie and 100 cruiser awards.

And while everyone let the good times roll, the real beneficiaries of the car show are Orion area families.

Through registration fees, donations, a pancake breakfast and raffle sales, the car show raised money to help the police association with the Kids & Kops fun nights at Blanche Sims Elementary, sponsoring local youth sports teams and helping area kids and families in need.

“This will be the most successful Kids & Kops Car Show we’ve ever had,” said organizer Bill Kokenos of Golling Buick GMC. “They’re going to make over $4,000 today. Traffic has been super. Super. We have about 190 cars, which is the most we’ve ever had.”

Kokenos added that Lockhart’s BBQ raised more than $800 for Kids & Kops by hosting a pancake breakfast the morning of the show.

This is the 12th classic car show and 5th Golling has hosted in downtown Lake Orion. Prior to that, the car shows were at the Golling Buick GMC dealership on Lapeer Road in Orion Township.

“We really appreciate the car enthusiasts who support our program,” said Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh.

For Kenny Ford, one of those car enthusiasts, “Cruisin’ s not a Crime.” Ford drove up from Utica in his 1971 Nova.

“Hell of a show. I’ll say that right now. I love it up here. You’ve got some great lakes,” said Ford, who is an avid fisherman.

Ford has owned his Nova for nine years, spending the first three restoring it. Ford’s son, Randy, races his nearly identical black Nova in Lapeer.

“I made it as perfect as I can,” Ford said. “I was going to race it, but after I finished it, I said, ‘I’m not going to tear it up (on the race track).’”

Kokenos said that one his goals in organizing the car show was to showcase the downtown, support the police association and help promote local businesses.

“The car show has gotten bigger and it gets better every year,” Narsh said. “John Cooper and the crew over at Golling have big hearts and support us in so many ways. We’re so thankful for the folks at Golling.”

For more photos see August 7 issue of The Lake Orion Review