Downtown Poteau will be a hot spot on Saturday as Historic Downtown Poteau hosts its 16th annual Wheels-N-Deals car show along Dewey Avenue. Registration will begin at 8 a.m., the show itself at 10 a.m., and the awards ceremony to end the event at 2 p.m.
“We have 12 classes for cars and trucks and 20 classes for motorcycles,” HDP acting executive director Kim Wilson told the Poteau Kiwanis Club at the local civic organization’s weekly meeting Thursday after- noon at Western Sizzlin.
Wilson said it wouldn’t just be automobiles and motorcycles.
“This year we added local food trucks,” she said. “We’re going to have live music with Mark Albertson and his friends. We’re going to have a kids’ zone with blow-ups. We’re going to have face painting. We’re going to have street games. There’s also going to be a craft and craft fair One part will take place at the HDP Event Center (307 Dewey Avenue) and another at Pocket Park, where the band will be present.
HDP’s Event Center is ready to organize small events within its walls.
“We have our office there,” Wilson said. “We’re open to renting. We’ve had bridal showers. We had a graduation party there last year. There’s a big open space. We have restrooms in there. The future plan is to have a kitchen where someone can come in and cook if they don’t have a commercial kitchen and sell (their produce).”
It is also home to the weekly HDP Farmer’s Market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards are available to customers. SNAP provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families through an electronic benefit transfer card. This card can be used as a debit card when purchasing produce at the Farmer’s Market.
Also in downtown Poteau on Saturday will be the Poteau Chamber of Commerce BBQ Smackdown, which at least eight teams will participate in. The event will begin at 11 a.m. The cost is $10 per ticket per person to be able to vote by being eligible to sample each team’s BBQ entree and drink. all proceeds benefit the Poteau Valley Humane Society.
