RPMs will be high as the gears burn rubber and stir up dust at several events from Aug. 15-Aug. 21 during the High Plains Riot in Mitchell.
The Riot is now in its 11th year and will continue to offer new activities for the community to enjoy during the week-long event.
Founder Jeremiah Gardner said Riot continues to be a popular attraction and anticipates an even bigger turnout for this year’s event.
“We’re still looking to pull 150 to 250 cars, depending on how many locals show up. We get a crowd of 3,000 to 5,000 on Saturday pretty easily because we’re kind of the big show in town at that time.”
Some of the car enthusiasts drive more than 1,000 miles to visit the valley for the Riot. Gardner said she talked to people traveling from the Washington area and Oregon, Tennessee, New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas and Ohio for the event. He also said representatives from Rat Rod Magazine will be back to cover the event.
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“We’re getting quite a run again this year even with the gas prices, which is amazing,” Gardner said. “There’s going to be some really cool stuff on display this year.”
Events begin on Monday, August 15 and continue on Tuesday, August 16 and Wednesday, August 17 with a Cruises departing from Western Travel Terminal at 8:30 am. Rioters and the public are invited to dinner on all three nights at 6 p.m. Monday dinner is at the firehouse, Tuesday dinner is at the Flyover Brewery and Wednesday at the Rustic Tavern.
The Thursday morning cruise starts at WTT at 8:30am. Rat rod and hot rod drivers will travel to Scotts Bluff National Monument before having a meet and greet at Hydrotex from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The day will conclude with a private VIP, Goonies themed 80s party.
The public is invited to attend the Dirt Track Extravaganza on Friday, August 19 at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds in Mitchell at 6:00 pm Doors open at 5:00 pm The event will run from 6: 00 to 21:00. Admission is $5 for adults and 15-year-olds. and below are free.
Drivers will bring out their motorcycles, hot rods, rat rods and toys to race a flat track at the fairgrounds. They can drift through the dirt and show off the power of the vehicles during the family event. Gardner said he bought a flamethrower to use during the extravaganza. Food vendors will be at the fairgrounds that night.
“It’s very entertaining to see these big trucks and hot rods driving around the land,” he said.
Gardner is optimistic that the Dirt Track Extravaganza will have an influx of visitors this year.
“I think dirt track is going to be the most explosive growth this year over last year because that was a new event that we came up with and it was very successful,” he said. “I expect this year to triple or quadruple what we had last year.”
The public is advised to wear hearing protection and sunscreen.
The Riot will have a full day of events on Saturday, August 20.
“We’re going to have a lot of cool stuff at the fairgrounds all day Saturday,” he said. “We’ll have bounce houses again, we’ll have the races, RC car races and face painting and food vendors.”
Burnout registration is from 8-10am, followed by an opening ceremony at the burnout pad.
“Just come down and get a front row seat if you want to check out the burnouts.”
The first burnout session will start at 11:30am and the last burnout session will start around 1:30pm.
“The big part we want is for people not to cross the line,” Gardner said. “We’ve put up concrete barriers and caution tape. We’re spreading it out even more this year so more people can see it because I know everyone wants to see it.”
With a variety of stripes and custom cars on display throughout Riot, Gardner hopes the community can enjoy the creativity behind each vehicle.
“I want them to see the imagination of the builders,” he said. “We’re really a builder-oriented show, so we really show people building their own stuff. I want them to see what we do behind the scenes and get to know the builders and see how much of a family it is.”
Young builders will also have the opportunity to display their vehicles built by themselves or with the support of their family. The Riot will be handing out Tools for Teens, toolboxes filled with a variety of tools for teen builders.
“We give out one of those every year,” he said. “That’s a big deal for us, too, is getting them going in the right direction and providing scholarships for people going into the trades.”
Participants will be recognized for their exhaustion and participation during the awards ceremony at 3:00 p.m. The evening concludes with an after-party at Redz in Mitchell at 6 p.m.
The final day of the Riot will feature a hot rod church at the fairgrounds at 10:30am.
Every year, Gardner adds something new to the itinerary. This year, there will be an RC High Plains Shootout drag race to conclude Sunday’s festivities. The race starts at noon at NAPA in Scottsbluff.
“I’m just supporting Seth Vogel, who’s running this event,” he said. “It’s something new that I’m supporting for people to do in the city.”
The shooting will last a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon.
For more information on this year’s event, visit The High Plains Riot Facebook page.
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