Two-thousand-and-twenty was the year of the cancelled or postponed car shows and events; the exception being those few that actually took place when they were originally scheduled. Mopars at the Beach is an annual event that usually takes place during the month of August in and around the Myrtle Beach, SC area. It is a 6-day-long gathering of Mopar lovers from all over. To kick the week off, there was a meet-and-greet on Tuesday evening. Also on the schedule of activities were a couple of cruise-ins that would end at various restaurants depending on the day.

A local speed shop set aside a day just for participants from the show who wanted to have their horsepower checked on the dyno. Special pricing got you two pulls on their chassis dyno. Next up was a charity ride and small show that started out from the local Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership. The big show was on Saturday with registration/check in for preregistered vehicles handled on site in a drive-thru fashion due the restrictions from the virus. Sunday morning hosted a farewell breakfast for all that could join at a local buffet.

I’ve known about this show for as long as it’s been going on, which was the 5th show. Being as it was always held in August at one of the most visited beaches on the South Carolina coast, I never made it a priority to take the trek down. Because the show was postponed until November 10th (through the 15th), I figured it’d be a good excuse to get in another beach trip. I wanted to experience the event from a spectator’s view and not a participant, so the ol’ Dodge would sit this one out.

I booked a campsite not far from where the show would be held and set out on Wednesday from Charlotte. Unfortunately, I arrived too late in the day to take in the dyno runs or that day’s cruise-in. The weather was iffy as another of this year’s hurricanes was due to roll through area on Thursday. To say that Thursday was a wash-out would be an understatement. The rain came down in buckets off-and-on all day and well into the night.

Fortunately, the one event on the schedule for that day was a cruise-in and dinner at Dick’s Last Resort. The restaurant was 30 minute drive from where I was staying and by the time I got there, the rain had let up enough to get a few pics of the cars in attendance. Approximately 35 people showed for the night with a special seating area set up for all those present. It was a good chance to meet some of the attendees that came in for the week, share a meal and have some fun. Being as I didn’t have a vehicle to participate with, I skipped the charity ride on Friday.

The big show was Saturday morning and registration/check-in opened at 8am. The show was held in the parking lot of the Murell’s Inlet Mall so there was lots of space for the show cars and vendors to set up. Or so it seemed. By 11am after walking from one end of the designated area to the other, I counted roughly 250 vehicles, which I think exceeded the promoter’s expectations. As is the trend with a lot of shows now, the majority of participating vehicles are later models – mainly Challengers and Chargers.

Although the classic Mopars were not nearly as plentiful, there was wide range of years represented and body styles. There was Plymouth from the late 20’s. A 1940 Dodge pickup done up like a fire truck with prior celebrity ownership. Fin cars from the late 50’s and the 1960’s being well represented with A, B and C-bodies. A beautiful Vitamin C Orange Superbird and a couple nice E-body cars – one even having a Gen 3 Hemi transplant.

This was a true family oriented event and there were plenty of kids with parents in tow, many spectators but also many participants. For instance, a very tropical vibe paint scheme Challenger that brought the whole family out to be in the show. One thing the show promoter Cathy Bridges and her husband pride themselves on is that all the proceeds go to charity. There was a food drive to benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank. The other charity benefiting from the show proceeds is Quilts of Valor who hold a ceremony to honor veterans in attendance.

A stop by the promoter’s booth showed an ample collection of door prizes and the custom-made trophies for all the different show classes. Overall, Mopars at the Beach week is a great event to attend for the week or just a few days. We’ll definitely be back and hope to see a bigger turnout of classic iron.

<

►

>