Cedar Rapids hosting Crown Rally Car Show Friday

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Third Avenue Bridge in downtown Cedar Rapids becomes a showcase for 125 customized sports cars on Friday as the 2017 Crown Rally makes its way through the city.

Organized by GO Cedar Rapids, the stop concludes day one of this year's rally in which participants are given a destination - or checkpoint - and must decide on the best route possible to reach it.

The cars are expected to reach the bridge Friday afternoon and a free car show takes place from 6 to 11 p.m.

On Saturday, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. the cars will begin staging for their launch from the bridge. The public is welcome to attend the launch and see drivers off to their next stop.

Third Avenue Bridge is to be closed to traffic during the events.

The Crown Rally has made past stops in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago and is scheduled for stops in Indianapolis and Nashville later this summer.

Cedar Rapids offered an opportunity for the public to interact with the cars and drivers.

'GO Cedar Rapids sold us on creating a free, family friendly car show upon our arrival in town, an event for the entire community. That was something we always wanted to do with the Crown Rally, but never had a partner like GO Cedar Rapids to pull it off,” said Justin Brouwer, co-founder of Crown Rally.

'When our team visited Cedar Rapids, we loved the vibrant downtown and saw how perfect the Third Avenue Bridge was for a car show, with the proximity to the amphitheater and Uptown Friday Nights.”

This week's Uptown Friday Nights show features The Pork Tornadoes performing at McGrath Amphitheatre, 475 First St. SW. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m. Admission is $5 and the shows are for those age 21 and older.

'Hosting the Crown Rally is a huge win,” said Taylor McGurk, director of destination development at GO Cedar Rapids. 'The residents of Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area are going to experience a once-in-a-lifetime caliber car show. More importantly, we have 300 influential visitors from all over the Midwest that will leave thoroughly impressed with Cedar Rapids and likely to return in some capacity.”

The Crown Rally also serves as a fundraiser with this year's effort benefiting The Epilepsy Foundation of America. Organizers are hoping to raise $80,000.