Charleston Rod Run and Doo Wop roaring back to boulevard this week

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A fall staple in the City of Charleston is roaring back this week on the Kanawha Boulevard — the 2022 Charleston Rod Run and Doo Wop car show.

The show, in its 16th year, is scheduled to begin Wednesday and runs through Saturday.

Jack Jarvis, the President of the West Virginia Motorcar Festival recently appeared on 580-LIVE and told 580-WCHS that around 700 vehicles are registered for the event. Cars are coming from 10 states including Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Missouri, as visitors may come from Canada.

Jarvis said what makes the event special is the comradery between car owners and it stretches from coast to coast.

“I go to shows all over the country and I have friends in California, New Jersey, all over the place that we meet at these car shows. We only see each other once or twice a year,” Jarvis said.

The show begins Wednesday evening with the traditional Cruise-in from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Home Depot at the Southridge Shopping Center location.

Jarvis said Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin will lead a parade of vehicles to the Cruise-in that will arrive there at 4 p.m.

“They’ll be giving some cash prizes away and door prizes there,” he said of the event.

Entertainment for the event includes a Friday night concert at 7:30 on the Schoenbaum Stage with Kate Boytek and Ronnie McDowell. On Saturday night at 7:30 on the Schoenbaum Stage is the 249th Army Band out of Morgantown and The Avalons.

Vendors and concessions will open at 10 a.m. on Thursday and the event will have activities for visitors of all ages through Saturday night. a Zambelli Fireworks shows is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. on Saturday.

Matt Sutton, the chief of staff for Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said on 580-LIVE with Jarvis that the current administration has made sure the car tradition continues.

“Right after Mayor Goodwin was elected and she and I were sitting down with Mayor (Danny) Jones, talking about what is going on in Charleston and what we need to focus on. The first thing he said was ‘you have to keep the Doo Wop, you have to make sure it happens,'” Sutton said.