Organizer has to shave after cruisers fill pickup with supplies

GRAVETTE — Gravette Cruise and Quarantine held a successful school supply drive on its cruise night Aug. 16.

Organizers Shane Hargrave and Michael Ratledge put out a call for school supplies with a list of specific items most needed. Hargrave said he hoped to fill the back of his pickup with supplies and even said, if that happened, he would shave his goatee.

Well, Hargrave better get his razor sharpened because the response was tremendous. Hargrave parked his pickup in the northwest corner of the parking lot at CV’s Family Foods where it was easily visible to passersby.

Cruise night regulars and other car enthusiasts began arriving about 3 p.m. and a steady stream of donors continued for the next two hours, with some of those attending bringing entire boxes of supplies. The truck was soon filled.

The new Miss Gravette, Kinsley Hurtt, just crowned at Gravette Day on Aug. 8, showed up for a photo opportunity with the cruise organizers, along with Miss Benton County Tiny Tot Clara Kate Edwards, 4, and Miss Benton County Princess Gracie Jaymes, 10.

Ratledge had designed and created a unique trophy to

be presented to the car club donating the most supplies. Modern Mopar Muscle of the Ozarks won the trophy, donating 334 school supply items.

The Chrysler products club is made up of members from throughout Northwest Arkansas and Hargrave thanked the club for its continued support, saying it has attended every Gravette Cruise since the second one.

He warned the group that they were receiving a traveling trophy and if it was outdone in donating by another club at next year’s school supply drive, it would have to give it up.

The donated school supplies will be given to Bright Futures, which will distribute them wherever they are most needed.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Susan Holland) Jenny and Shane Hargrave and Audrey and Michael Ratledge, organizers of the Gravette Cruise and Quarantine cruise nights, display the pickup load of school supplies that was donated during the Aug. 16 cruise night. The boxes of school supplies will be donated to Bright Futures, which will distribute the supplies where they are most needed.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Susan Holland) Hargrave and Ratledge display the unique trophy, topped with an oil can, which Ratledge designed and built to reward the car club that donated the most school supplies at the Cruise night Aug. 16.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Susan Holland) Tony Nguyen of the Modern Mopar Muscles of the Ozarks car club hoists the trophy the club won for donating the most school supplies at the Aug. 16 Gravette cruise night. The club donated 334 supplies. Nguyen poses with Shane Hargrave and Michael Ratledge (on his left and right sides) and various members of the Mopar car club.