DOWAGIAC — Car enthusiastics of all kinds will have a chance to “cruise for a cause” Thursday, July 26 in Dowagiac.

Ed’s Open Header “Cruise for a Cause” will be hosted Thursday, July 26 to support Cass County Cancer Services. The annual fundraiser will begin at 5:30 p.m. July 26 at Thomas J. Mosier Waterwell Drilling, 21867 M-60 E., Cassopolis. A police escort will then lead the cruise into downtown Dowagiac. Organizers said Dowagiac residents can meet at 6:40 p.m. at the James E. Snow Professional Building in Dowagiac to see the cars roll through downtown. A concert by Out of Favor Boys and a cookout will follow the cruise. Car registration for the cruise is $20 prior to the event. Day-of registration will be $25.

“What we do is get the car enthusiasts all together,” said Curt Rohdy, an organizer of the event. “We get the classic cars, the hot rods, all that stuff. But everyone is welcome. If you want to bring a family car, you can bring it. If you want to bring a pick-up truck, you can bring it. If you ride motorcycles, you can ride a motorcycle.”

Ed’s Open Header “Cruise for a Cause” is an annual event hosted in the memory of Ed Kazlauskas, who died in 2016 of cancer. A Dowagiac native and owner of Jim D’s Body Shop, Kazlauskas was a local car buff who was instrumental in starting Dowagiac’s Rod and Roll Classic Auto Show, which will take place in August.

“We talked, before he got cancer, about doing an open header cruise just for fun,” said Rohdy, who was a close friend of Kazlauskas.’ “After he died, it seemed like the right thing to do. … It’s a good fundraiser.”

One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the cruise will go to Cass County Cancer Services. Rohdy said he was inspired to donate the proceeds from the event to Cass County Cancer Services after he attempted donate to the American Cancer Society, but found that they did not have any services available in Cass County.

“Unlike [the American Cancer Society], everything Cass County Cancer Services does stays in Cass County, and it is 100 percent volunteer based,” Rohdy said. “If you give [Cass County Cancer Services] $100, that is $100 that goes right back into the community. If someone suffering from cancer needs gas money or needs a ride to the doctor or there is some type of service that they need, the Cass County Cancer Services does that for them.”

Rohdy said he hopes this year’s cruise will bring a good crowd in order to raise more money for Cass County Cancer Services.

“That’s why we do it,” he said. “But it is also just a fun event where car lovers can get together. … We really hope people will come out and enjoy themselves.”