The Sugar Festival Rod Run:
The Sugar Festival Rod Run is the annual fundraiser for the Big Lake Cruisers. Most of the proceeds fund our scholarship program at Clewiston High School with the club retaining a small percentage for operating costs during the year. The next Sugar Festival is scheduled for April 30, 2011.
Since the Sugar Festival Rod Run, is not a car show but rather a rod run as stated, the event is open to any classic, collectible, antique or unique automobile or truck. If you are proud of it and want to show it off, it can be registered in our Rod Run.
Motorcyles are also welcome but at a reduced registration price.This is a fundraiser for us which is why we charge for either car or bike. All motorcycles will be parked together on an asphalt surface.
If you arrive on a bike and don’t want to pay the registration fee, be aware there is no special parking area for motorcycles. You will be directed out of the Rod Run area and to the Festival area itself.
Individuals or clubs are welcome to participate in our Rod Run. We do ask that if you belong to a club, that you include that information on your registration so your club can receive recognition.
About Club Participation: If you are a member of a club and want to park together as a club unit, simply have a representative contact one of our club officers with the number of parking spaces that you would like reserved. This needs to be done prior to the day of the event. We will hold the spaces as long as possible, but if you have late arrivals or stragglers, we can not guarantee that they will get to park with their club. We will have club members available to guide you to a parking area.
About arrival time: We ask that you arrive in the park 8 a.m or after. Prior to 8 a.m., is a very hectic time in the park with everyone trying to set up as well as off-loading supplies and equipment. As long as you get there before 12 noon when registration closes, you will be eligible for a trophy. If you arrive after 12 noon, you will still have to pay a registration fee, but you will not be eligible for any trophies.
About goody bags: Goody bags will be given to the first 125 cars in the park, regardless of whether you are pre-registered or not.
About directions: The Sugar Festival Rod Run is located in Municipal Park which is right in the middle of Clewiston on U.S. Hwy 27 also known as Sugarland Hwy. We will have directional signs on the outskirts of town and down Sugarland Hwy. We will also have club personnel on the highway at the entrance to be used for rod run participants. Please do not move or go around any barricades you may encounter. The Police Dept. gets very upset about this and you are on your own with them if you do this.
About the trophies: We award trophies at 3 p.m the day of the Rod Run.
We offer first, second and third places for Best Motorcycle, Best Paint, Best Interior, and Best Engine. We also offer a trophy for Best of Show (overall winner) and Club Participation (whatever club has the most registrants)
About Golf Carts: The City of Clewiston does not allow private golf carts in the park. If you are handicapped, and have a handicap permit, and use a golf cart for transportation at events such as our Rod Run, you must register with the Clewiston Police and Hendry County Sheriff’s Dept. command center which is in the center of the park, upon your arrival the day of Sugar Festival. They will issue you one of their permits for that day. Don’t delay in registering with the command center, they will only issue a limited number of permits.
This does not apply to such devices as Larks.
Other things you need to know: The City of Clewiston does not allow dogs or alcoholic beverages in the park . Sorry folks, these are local ordinances.
You may want to bring chairs as public seating is limited especially over by the entertainment area. Portable shade canopies are acceptable, but not all the parking spaces will have extra room to put up a canopy. There are trees in the park, but as you can imagine, any available shade goes pretty fast.