The first of the Friday night ‘Pre-Cruise’ events has been staged in Escalon, adjacent to Hula’s Restaurant on Jackson Avenue, and they will continue throughout the summer. They are a popular weekly ‘lead in’ to the annual downtown Autumn Cruise the Escalon Lions Club hosts each September.

Date for the 2015 show is Saturday, Sept. 12 and the cruise will run from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. that day. The Escalon Lions Club hosts the pre-cruise and downtown show in Main Street Park each year to raise money for graduating Escalon High School seniors.

“This year, we gave out 14 scholarships, each was for $1,750,” explained Lions Club member John Salvin, a past chairman of the Autumn Cruise. “We’re getting close to a half million dollar we have raised.”

The number of scholarships and the amount of each has increased over the years, as the Autumn Cruise has become a favorite of auto enthusiasts throughout the region. Classic car owners from the Central Valley, Bay Area and beyond cruise into town for the September show, and the weekly Friday night festivities also draw several dozen vehicles.

The Friday night pre-cruise events run from roughly 5 to 7 p.m. with music, food, prize drawings and plenty of time to talk shop about the cars. Many of those that attend the Friday nights at Hula’s also have their classics in the main event in September.

This year will mark the 22nd annual Escalon Lions Club Autumn Cruise. Activities typically include food, vendor booths, multiple chances to win prizes, music, a display of well over 200 vehicles and a Main Street ‘cruise’ of award winners to wrap up the show.

Salvin said auto buffs interested in registering for the show can contact him at 209-838-7077.

“Or they can come down to Hula’s on a Friday night and I will give them a flyer,” he said.