CENTRE —  The era of big hair, Ronald Reagan, and the Rubic's Cube is returning to Centre—at least for a day.

On Saturday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. the Centre City Park and the old Babe Ruth baseball field will host the Big E Cruisin' for Charity Reunion.

The gathering is not just for former Big E parking lot cruisers. Organizers hope the event's family atmosphere and varied activities will attract even those who might mistake the “Big E” as a Sesame Street letter-of-the-day.

Scheduled to be on-hand is an antique tractor club, along with classic antique cars, local artist Cloud Fallow's arts and crafts and various vendors. Also on tap for the festivities are children's inflatables, karaoke, hay rides, and an impressive prize raffle.

Perhaps the main Reunion attraction is the schedule of live entertainment. Scheduled to perform under the canopy are the gospel quartet Justified, the Weiss Lake Bluegrass Band, and guitarist Leisa Renfroe. Rounding out the evening is the event headliner, Nashville recording artist Jeremiah Wheeler.

Raffle prizes will be given away throughout the day. WEIS Radio is donating free Six Flags and Lake Winnepesaukah passes, as well as Atlanta Braves tickets. Bostrom of Piedmont is contributing a Pro Ride office chair. Other prizes include a kayak trip for two from Terrapin Outdoors Centre, Day Maker's Professional Salon gift certificates, and a porch swing donated by Ronnie Strawbridge and George Ardesser.

Raffle tickets cost a dollar and can be either pre-purchased or obtained the day of the event. Winners do not have to be present at the time of the drawings.
Since the Cruisin' Reunion is a charity event, all entertainers and organizers are donating their time and talents to help raise money for the Children's Advocacy Center of Cherokee County.

The Advocacy Center provides free counseling and court services to child abuse victims and their families. While part of their funding is generated from local donors, they also rely upon grants to serve child abuse victims.

Lori Harris of the Children's Advocacy Center explained how the Reunion will help fill a financial need.

“This year the CAC has lost over $50,000 in grant funding,” she said. “Funds raised through this event will assist us in continuing to provide services to child abuse victims and their families.”

Though raising money for local charity will be the result, the Reunion's real inspiration was bringing together Big E parking lot cruisers. Most weekend nights in the 1970s and '80s, local teenagers circled the Cherokee Plaza parking lot with their four-by-four trucks and Trans Ams.

Teens found other loitering avenues after cruisers were finally shooed off the property in the early 1990s. With the high-rising gas prices of recent times, cruising has been reduced to little more than fond nostalgia of a past generation.

The Big E Cruisin' for Charity Reunion Committee is already making plans for future reunions, with a different charity every year.

If your charity would like to apply to be the beneficiary of the 2013 reunion or to pre-order raffle tickets, e-mail cruzin4charity@gmail.com.