Hats Off to Car Club
Promotional product helps raise funds for children’s charities
By Cathy Mutschler
Visit Elizabethton, Tennessee, on a Saturday night and you might feel like you’ve stepped back in time—circa 1960.
Peek down Elk Avenue, the main drag of the Carter County seat (population 14,369), and you’ll find it transformed. Classic cars line both sides of the street. Couples walk hand-in-hand, cell phones pocketed. Strangers exchange smiles, jokes, stories about the ’56 Chevy or the ’63 Thunderbird they’d owned or wished they’d owned. Classic cars are parked all around, hoods up and gleaming.
Carter County Car Club hosts a free “Cruise -In ” event .
This throwback event is a Saturday night staple April through October thanks to the Carter County Car Club. The city willingly closes off the street to open up the community to car enthusiasts from near and far. Each week, over 200 classics, hot rods and custom cars roll into town and park for an American “Cruise-In” event that’s virtually free of charge.
“Where else can people go these days for free on a Saturday night?” said Kathy Osborne, public relations volunteer for the Carter County Car Club.
Whole families return week after week to cruise the line-up of cars, shop at antique stores, and eat at downtown establishments.
“It’s a win-win for everyone.”
The biggest winners
The only catch, if you could call it that, is that the Carter County Car Club will kindly ask you to part with some cash. Collection barrels encourage you to “throw in what you can,” including “all that loose change that’s scratching up your car’s console.”
All proceeds benefit local children’s charities, including the Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree Program, the Friends Program, the Carter County Imagination Library, and the Elizabethton Boys & Girls Club, among others.
This year, the club added the Elite Cap to the apparel they sold, with the help of 4imprint.
“The caps have been such a big hit and we got such a good deal from 4imprint that we were able to double our money!” Kathy said.
Kathy anticipates they will raise between $20,000-$30,000 this year. Kathy says she’s confident the new cap is playing a big role in the club’s increased donations.
Hats off to your advertising with this business-boosting cap!
“Everyone likes something new to wear, to show off their support of the cruise-in and all these children’s charities.”
One cap leads to another
The Carter County Car Club got the idea for the cap from Kathy and her husband, Rick. The couple has owned and operated Osborne Electric Inc. for over 35 years, and as part of their 35th anniversary celebration, they wanted to do something special for their customers.
Kathy found 4imprint online and liked the variety and pricing she saw. They ordered some caps which were a big hit. At a monthly meeting of the car club, another member saw Rick sporting his cap and suggested they do something similar for their weekly fundraising event.
Tell ‘em we said hi
This was the first time the club has sold a promotional product other than the T-shirts that display a classic car owned by one of the members on the front and sponsor logos on the back. Although it will be several months before they know just how successful the cap sales will be, they are off to a strong start.
If you are ever in the area, cruise by for a fun evening and to help fund a good cause. Also, look for the 4imprint caps at the display table in the center of Elizabethton at Antiques on Elk.
Meanwhile, Kathy and Rick will either be parked or cruising in one of their seven classic cars or behind the apparel table, taking donations and offering to hold milkshakes for passersby while they dig out spare change.
Offering attendees branded products for purchase is a great fundraiser for you and a great souvenir for them!
Products you could sell at your next event.
