By Megan Wadding, Jan. 1, 2015.
Kent Schweiss, vice-president of the Central Arizona Region Lambda Car Club, one of 35 chapters of the Lambda Car Club International across the United States and Canada, created the car show 23 years ago as a way to celebrate both cars and the music of earlier eras.
The theme of the event changes each year, and this year it will be taking a cue from the 1963 Motown hit, “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas. Martha Reeves, lead singer of the group, will be the feature entertainment of the weekend.
“We named the event after the song ‘Heat Wave’ because it really seemed to talk about what Arizona is about. We have great weather in the winter,” Schweiss explained. “The song lyrics [fit perfectly] when you’re a car guy and you’re in the middle of car heaven for the weekend. I thought we should focus on the ‘60s because a lot of the cars in the show are from that era.”
Schweiss, a fan of Reeves, said he specifically sought her out, adding that she happily agreed to perform at the event. According to Schweiss, she will take the audience on what he calls a “live stroll down memory lane” as she plans shares the memories about her ride to fame in Motown.
This auction weekend invitational, which is sponsored by AutoNation Ford Scottsdale, will feature an itinerary of many car-related events throughout the three-day event.
Fun In The Sun
After a tour of the facility, attendees will head over to Lake Pleasant.
“[Lake Pleasant] is the storage of all of the Arizona water,” Schweiss said. “It’s five miles from one end of the lake to the other.”
Attendees will then be treated to Hawaiian luau, which will include a lakeside lunch, cooked on location by a Hawaiian chef.
“They’re going to have leis and the chef will be doing a Kahlua pig, poi and sushi,” Schweiss added.
The event’s attendees will then head back to the resort for the welcome reception, free to anyone who has registered for the weekend.
Road Trip
“The cars there range in age from way into the early 1930s up until about the late 1960’s,” Schweiss said. “There are about 20 acres of abandoned cars and the neat part is that there are some really hard to find vintage car parts. They have parts there that you can’t find anywhere else.”
After the tour, the attendees will be treated to a catered Texas barbecue lunch that will be prepared and served on site.
“There’s going to be white linen on the trunks and hoods of the cars and everyone will eat their lunch on top of the cars,” Schweiss said. “Some may even get inside behind the wheel and eat there.”
Schweiss said that he believes this event is an attendee favorite because of the great finds in the yard, especially since many of the attendees come from places where it gets too cold for
parts to last very long.
“When [attendees] are coming from back east or the Midwest, where the parts have been ruined by the weather, they go down to the yard and can find something unusual they can sell later,” Schweiss said. “There is stuff here that’s never been ruined and that they could never find back where they’re coming from.”
As an alternative to the salvage yard tour, attendees can opt for a private guided tour of the Penske Racing Museum in Phoenix. The museum, which boasts an impressive collection of cars, is a must-see for any racing and car-loving fan, Schweiss added.
The day’s itinerary will conclude with a banquet, complete with entertainment, contests and prizes, at Stone Creek Golf Club. According to Schweiss, there will also be surprises for those in attendance, but they’ll be kept under wraps until the doors open.
The Main Event
“The hotel has a great tropical setting. The whole back of the hotel is solid glass that overlooks the lake with palm trees and a beach,” Schweiss said. “You’d think you were in Hawaii. It’s spectacular.”
According to Schweiss, the car show will feature vehicles ranging from 1934 all the way up to newly released 2015s.
Attendees representing more than seventeen states have registered to be a part of the show. The car show is free and open to the public.
Car show attendees are
encouraged to cast their vote in nine categories and the winners will be will be honored that evening at the awards banquet.
The banquet will feature a Mad Men theme and will celebrate the height of the Motown era, Schweiss said. Reeves will perform, tell stories from her career in Motown and participate in a Q&A session.
“[Reeves] is going to sing and we’re going to show her music videos behind her,” Schweiss said. “‘Heat Wave’ will be her last song and the audience will sing it with her.”
Two free nights at the Millennium McCormick resort will be raffled off during the weekend and the winner will be announced at the banquet. There will also be a 50/50 raffle.
“It’ll be a night that no one will ever forget,” Schweiss said. “It’s going to be funny, memorable, emotional and crazy.”
VITAL STATISTICS
2015 Heatwave Car Show and Weekend
Jan. 15-17 | Millennium McCormick Scottsdale Resort
7401 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Tickets: Weekend package, $199;
admission to individual events also available
