BY DAVID ECK
Enquirer Contributor
EVENDALE -- It may be the late 1990s, but it's definitely the mid-1950s this weekend, as St. Rita School for the Deaf holds its fourth annual Cruise-in and Car Show.
The car show runs today from noon to 4 p.m. on the school grounds at 1720 Glendale-Milford Road. Admission is free. A restored 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air will be raffled at 4 p.m., and the winner can select the Bel Air or a 1998 Chevrolet Camaro.
Several hundred classic cars, from the 1940s through the 1970s, are expected for today's show. Owners pay $10 to enter their cars in the show.
"They come out because generally it's the first show of the season," said Jodi Weiser, public relations coordinator for the school. "We have a great variety of different cars, vehicles, no matter what size crowd."
At a sock hop Saturday night, nearly 300 people, decked out in poodle skirts and polished saddle shoes twisted, shouted and swayed to the sounds of the 1950s. Outside, dozens of cars were already on display.
The weekend event is expected to raise about $8,000 for the school, Ms. Weiser said.
"There is always the last-minute rush and the weather is always an issue, but as far as popularity, we are expecting a lot of people this year," she said. "If the weather holds, we'll be busier than ever."
The sock hop and car show supplement the school's annual car raffle, going on for about 20 years.
"It really helps bring in more money to our Roadster Raffle," she said. "Every year we get more costumes."
She said the '50s theme party has grown over the years.
"This is so much fun," she said. "Everybody has a favorite car from any era. As far as the sock hop, it's just plain good old-fashioned fun."
Singer Bruce Wilburn, who performed a tribute to Elvis Presley, said the 1950s will continue to survive through the '90s and beyond. "I just think the 1950s bring back a lot of memories for a lot of the folks," he said. "It was an era when people let themselves go."
