It’s in the bag for Cruisin’ the Coast

Posted on WLOX13: Sep 28, 2013 12:06 PM CDTUpdated: Sep 28, 2013 6:52 PM CDT

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) – It’s called a packing party, but it’s not your typical celebration. It’s a way that volunteers make sure we’re ready to host Cruisin’ the Coast, which begins in eight days.

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Almost 100 of them gathered at the Coca-Cola plant in Gulfport Saturday morning to form an assembly line of fun. Out come the bags, and in goes all things cruisin’ like brochures, flyers, and anything else related to the event. How many are there? Lisa Burnett, the registration director for Cruisin’ said, “We are stuffing 7 thousand bags. We started at 8, and we hope to be finished by noon.” When the bags are stuffed, they are boxed up and shipped off to storage.  (Cellular Users  TAP HERE TO GO SEE THE GREAT VIDEO COVERAGE)

Who are these volunteers? Some are rookies like Mike Smith.

“You’ve got to volunteer. It’s the right thing to do. It’s a great event, I love Cruisin the Coast,” Smith exclaimed. “It’s the first year I’ve owned my vet. I got with Mr. Robert Klein, our president and a great group of people for socializing and networking.”

Some, like Marshal Avila, aren’t old enough to drive yet.

“I love Cruisin the Coast and it’s really fun and my Grandma and Grandpa are part of the Corvette Club so I’m just out here to help,” Avila said.

It looks like a lot of work, but it isn’t for Cherie Auger.

“No, not at all. It’s a lot of fun to be socializing with everybody and seeing everybody here again. It’s only once a year we get to get together,” Auger said.

A lot of people who live here on the coast may think that Cruisin’ just happens. Thousands of people show up in their classic cars and the fun begins. But that’s not true at all. Cruisin’ wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the efforts of the volunteers, according to Burnett.

“We have 12 car clubs that help host our event, and they volunteer for activities such as this and for helping at the different sites,” said Burnett.

And what a sight this event is, a finely tuned volunteer engine, hitting on all cylinders. Eventually, all the boxes full of bags will be moved to Cruise Central, which again will be at Centennial Plaza in Gulfport. Copyright 2013 WLOX. All rights reserved.