DOWAGIAC — Downtown Dowagiac will be transformed next weekend, as freshly polished classic cars of all kinds will line Front Street in celebration for one of Dowagiac’s biggest summer events.

The Great Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce’s 28th annual Rod and Roll Car Show will take place downtown on Saturday, Aug. 18. More than 200 classic cars will come from all over southwest Michigan to participate in the car show. Registration will begin at 7 a.m., and the Trophy Ride will take place at 2 p.m. The cost to have a show car is $20 on the day of show. Participants will receive a “swag bag” that includes a commemorative mug, T-shirt, a plaque and other goods.

“It’s a fun event to draw people to our downtown,” said co-chair of the event Kris Soenen. “We want to draw people so they can see what we have in Dowagiac. A lot of our businesses, including our convenience stores and gas stations, benefit from bringing more people to town.”

This year, Baker’s Rhapsody will be cooking the car show breakfast, which will include french toast, quiche, sausage, coffee and juice. The breakfast will cost $6.

Also new this year, the chamber of commerce is partnering with the Debenwethek Parent Group of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi to provide a Touch a Truck event inside Twistees’ parking lot. The Touch a Truck event will be a free children’s event from 9 a.m. to noon that will feature 15 to 20 vehicles that children can climb and interact with.

“It’s a way for us to be kid friendly because the kids can’t jump and climb with the classic cars,” Soenen said. “It gives them a little outlet to run and explore and still attend and have fun.”

She said that she hopes everyone comes out to enjoy the car show, and she personally finds the show to be valuable and fun.

“The drivers that come down, and many of our participants have been coming for all 28 years, are great,” she said. “It’s also the cars: Some of these cars are showstoppers. It’s exciting to see the enthusiasm that these people put into their cars to maintain them and the pride they take in doing that.”

Soenen and other chamber representative also said they would like to thank everyone who has made the 28th annual Rod and Roll Car Show possible, including the show’s sponsors.

Corporate trophy sponsors include: Barry’s Automotive, Creative Vinyl Signs, Dowsett Chiropractic Health Center, Flint’s Auto Repair, John and Curt’s Brake and Alignment, Myer’s Forklift, Peggy Hamilton, True’s Towing, Who Knew Consignment and Wolverine Mutual Insurance.

Chemical Bank is underwriting the participant dash plaques, with corporate sponsors of the event coffee mugs being: C. Wimberley Automotive Group, Imperial Furniture, Mahar Insurance and True’s Towing.

Corporate sponsors of the event crewneck shirts are: Ausra Equipment, Creative Vinyl Signs, Division Tire, Dowagiac Auto Service, Hale’s Hardware, Jim D’s Body Shop, Kemner Iott Benz Insurance, Lindy’s Restaurant, Mosier Well Drilling, Oil Can Alley, Ridge/Napa, Symonds Machine Co., True’s Towing and Wings, etc.