Roseburg Benefit Car Show Draws Crowd for 47th Annual Weekend Supporting Local Causes

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Classic cars, longtime tradition and community giving came together this weekend as the 47th Annual Roseburg Benefit Car Show filled the Douglas County Fairgrounds with polished builds, familiar faces and support for two local causes.

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Hosted by the Umpqua Flatheads and the Stray Angels Car Club, the indoor show featured about 70 classic and custom vehicles as attendees spent the weekend checking out the cars, visiting with fellow enthusiasts and supporting a fundraiser that has become a longtime Roseburg tradition.

The event also included a 50-50 drawing, prize giveaways and trophy presentations after the close of the show.

We interviewed Larry Wheeler, vice president of the Umpqua Flatheads and co-chair of the Benefit Car Show Committee, who said the event is organized each year by the Umpqua Flatheads, the Stray Angels Car Club and a small group of dedicated volunteers.

“It’s a committee of just 10 people that put this show on every single year,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler said the show began in 1977 when two members of the Umpqua Flatheads decided they wanted to create a car show that would raise money for local charities.

“If I remember correctly, in 1977, two guys from the Umpqua Flatheads decided that they wanted to put on a benefit show, a car show, to benefit local charities here in Roseburg,” Wheeler said. “In three weeks, they put this entire show together.”

That original mission remains at the center of the event today. This year’s beneficiaries are Douglas County Search and Rescue and the Special Materials Fund for handicapped kids in Douglas County.

One representative at the show said the fundraiser plays a vital role in helping local children with special needs.

“This is our only source of income other than a few private donations,” she said. “Special Materials purchases equipment for kids with special needs.”

She said the support from the car show has made a difference for decades.

“The Car Club has been donating to Special Materials to help handicapped kids in Douglas County for 50 years,” she said. “We’re the last resort. If nobody else can help them, we help them.”

For many attendees, the show is about more than just the vehicles on display. It is also about community, tradition and the people who gather around a shared passion.

One attendee said the event stands out not only because of the cars, but because of the atmosphere.

“A lot of nice-looking cars, but a lot of really nice people, too,” he said. “It’s a great community, and it’s for a good purpose.”

Another attendee said the show feels like the unofficial start of car-show season in Roseburg.

“It’s the start of the season,” she said. “Being born and raised in Roseburg, Graffiti Weekend’s huge, so we all love classics. This just means the season is about ready to hit.”

That connection to local car culture continues to make the Roseburg Benefit Car Show a meaningful annual event for participants and spectators alike.

For some, it is simply part of who they are.

“We’re car people,” one participant said. “That’s all we’ve ever done. We build cars. My brother puts on the car show in Medford, so cars are our life.”

As another year of the Roseburg Benefit Car Show comes to a close, the event once again showed why it has remained a fixture in the community for nearly five decades - bringing people together through a shared love of classic cars while helping support important local causes.