Over 30 years of charitable service is looking to start back up for one nonprofit organization.

The Carter County Car Club is putting the final pieces in place for the 2018 installment of the Saturday Night Cruise-In series.

Club President Ron McCloud presented City Manager Jerome Kitchens with a letter Feb. 26 to accept this year’s season of events, which take place downtown. The Cruise-In series is set to begin April 7 and last until Oct. 27 every Saturday from 5 to 9:30 p.m.

According to McCloud’s letter, the club is asking the city to keep Armed Forces Drive open before Elk Avenue and E Street to allow parking. McCloud added that most Saturdays the organization would not need to use E Street for parking.

The club is also asking that bicycle and skateboard traffic be limited during the Cruise-In hours due to it being a problem in the past.

One of the key elements offered by the club is their annual car show, which is scheduled to take place in downtown Elizabethton on Saturday, July 14, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., which would then be carried over into the regularly scheduled Cruise-In.

Club members have been active in the community over the years by raising funds for local children’s organizations during each event.

2017 proved to be a successful year for the club with members raising over $12,000, with $6,000 going to benefit the Salvation Army’s Christmas Tree Program.

During last year’s annual trip to the Elizabethton Wal-Mart for the Christmas Tree Program, members were able to deliver Christmas cheer to 60 children from the area.

“We had a lot of people come by our cruise-ins this year,” Bob Livingston, past president, told the Elizabethton Star following the 2017 event. “Each event, we have a barrel set up that is used to accept monetary donations. It really has been a successful year.”

Other programs that receive assistance from the club include the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County, the accelerated reader program in Carter County Schools, Children’s Evangelism, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Friends of Down Syndrome and the Elizabethton Back-2-School Bash.

While tackling their mission, improvements were also made downtown for the cruise-in in 2017 with the completion of the restroom facility located downtown — primarily constructed with volunteer labor from club members.

Even though the shopping has concluded, members will continue finalizing their effort with the Salvation Army in the coming weeks, while also looking ahead for the next cruise-in season.

Residents can visit www.cartercountycarclubtn.com to learn more about the club and their mission for the community.