Words and Photos by Erik Azar
Erik Azar is a motorsports enthusiast living in Northeast Florida. He is presently the VP of the Jacksonville Corvette Club and an active member of JAMS – Jacksonville Area Mopars where he enjoys attending motorsport events in his Jeep JK and Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye.
The 5th annual Mopars on the Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC – tailored as a Vacation for Mopar Enthusiasts took place from November 10-15, 2020. Like so many other motorsport events this year, Mopars on the Beach was postponed from its usual June timeframe.
Mopars on the Beach was founded in 2016 by Tommy and Cathy Bridges of the Coastal Carolina Mopars, and with the help of their club members pulled off a successful event as they had to be agile and creative dealing with the current Covid-19 climate. This year saw over 300 attendees from 17 states traveling from as far away as Nevada and Arizona.
The week’s activities consisted of various Cruise-ins, Dyno Day, Charity Ride, and a Car Show. It’s a great way for Mopar enthusiasts to meet other like-minded people from all over the United States and develop new friendships.
This year even the late season Hurricane Iota wouldn’t put a damper on the activities and fun. The rain stopped Thursday evening allowing Friday’s Charity Ride and Saturday’s car show to take place with beautiful weather.
Friday’s charity ride to the small town of Georgetown, SC ended up having more than double the number of attendees expected. The organizers did an excellent job coordinating with the local police departments to arrange police escorts and blocking major intersections for more than 100 cars to travel from site to site. The evening ended at The Landing at the Boathouse for dinner and prizes.
The main event and largest generator of donation funds for the charities was Saturday’s car show that hosted over 300 cars on display. The cars ranged from classic 60s-70s Mopar muscle, to modern muscle and custom Mopars – which provided something for everybody to enjoy.
For 2020 the event raised $13,000 that was evenly divided between two local charities:
· Quilts of Valor local chapter – provides volunteer handmade quilts to service members and veterans that have been touched by war.
· Lowcountry Food Bank – provides both the education and nutritious options needed by partner agencies and schools that serve our community
Next year’s Mopars on the Beach is scheduled for Nov 2-6, 2021 and will move to Broadway at the Beach, a popular tourist destination with shopping and entertainment. There will also be Drag Strip day on Thursday, Nov 4, 2021 at Darlington Drag Strip.
For additional information for Mopars on the Beach 2021 visit their website at https://moparsatthebeach.org. Or directly contact Tommy and Cathy Bridges – Coastal Carolina Mopars – (864)325-9660 coastalcarolinamopars@gmail.com
