Annual EPC Classic Carfest set for Oct. 8

What started as a way to drive customers to a new business has grown into an annual event that has raised more than $89,000 for local charities.

The 10^th annual EPC Classic Carfest will start at 8 a.m. on Sat., Oct. 8, on EPC’s 10-acre parking lot at 3941 Truman Blvd. in St. Charles.

Three dozen proposed classes of vehicles will be represented this year, including stock and modified versions of cars pre-1949, 1950-1973, 1974-1990 and 1991-present, as well as stock and modified trucks, street rods, pro-streets and T-buckets, motorcycles, daily drivers, Corvettes, Mustangs, imports and special interest vehicles.

The Classic Carfest got its start when EPC, the largest professional electronics recycler and IT asset management firm in Missouri, moved into St. Charles County in 2001.

“We needed to figure out how to let the community know that we were now in the long-empty, old Target building on Truman Boulevard,” said Dan Fuller, EPC president. “We were struggling to come up with a different way of doing that besides the standard media advertising, when our customer told me about how he and his buddies were always cruising on the weekends and attending car shows. That was the ‘light bulb moment’ and we decided that filling up our 10-acre lot with classic cars would be, well, cool….and it would draw attention.”

And it worked.

“Fortunately, it has grown every year in terms of participating vendors, car exhibitors and certainly spectators,” Fuller said. “It has become a nice fall festival vibe that we hoped for.”

The amount of money raised for charity has also grown through the years. The company selects a charity each year to benefit from the Classic Carfest, and in the last nine years, the event has raised $89,000.

“Each year we select an area charity that works to improve the lives of children in need in St. Charles County or throughout the metropolitan St. Louis area,” Fuller said. “The Classic Carfest has become a fall tradition for many families who enjoy seeing a wide range of vintage or classic vehicles in a festive atmosphere that also has music and some of the best food and beverages that taste even better on a crisp autumn day.”

Past charities that have benefited from the Classic Car Fest included: St. Charles Healthy Communities, Community Living, Missouri Children’s Burn Camp, Erin Eickemeier Foundation, Angels’ Arms, Friends of Kids with Cancer, JDRF and Center for Autism.

“We try to help smaller, lesser-funded charities that emphasize helping children,” Fuller said.

This year, the Classic Carfest will benefit The Child Center, a nonprofit child advocacy center whose goal is to meet the needs of children, teens and families who have been traumatized by child abuse and violence.

“Our Classic Carfest Committee visited them, and…they were changed at what they saw,” Fuller said. “I wish there never needed to be any type of agency that has to deal with child abuse, but they thankfully exist. And in these stressful economic times, the Child Center is much busier than it ever needs to be.”

In addition to the cool cars, the event will also include activities for all members of the family.

“Unlike most car shows, our event is designed for everyone,” Fuller said. “We have a Kids Town section, and we are setting up a Radio Controlled Car track so folks can drive some very fast Traxxas RC Cars, courtesy of Mark Twain Hobby. But most importantly, we want people to come out and enjoy themselves and contribute to a great cause.”

The event is free and open to the public. Music will be performed from noon until 3 p.m. on the EPC lot, and trophies will be awarded at 4 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided by River City Catering, Stumpy’s BBQ, Kona Ice and Papa Tom’s Gateway Hot Dogs.

Pre-registration for all vehicles is open now at www.classiccarfest.com.