About Us.

History of the Gearheads – How it got started!

    In 2007, a few good ole boys and their toys inspired the birth of what we now call the East Kentucky Gearheads Car Club.  Whether it is a classic muscle car, a nostalgic rat rod, or a vintage pickup truck, a hot rod never fails to catch the eye of onlookers, especially when the onlooker is a gearhead at heart.  This car club has created a great sense of community in our area by bringing together all gearheads to share their love for loud motors, fast cars, burn outs, paint jobs, uniqueness, and most importantly good old-fashioned fun.  Our goal is to promote community togetherness through hotrodding all across our corner of the state and to also reach out to any avid hotrodders in any surrounding area. 
    Not only do we gather with our rides every month as part of the cruise-in tradition, but we also find great joy in supporting others with the funds generated every year during cruising season.  There is more to it than showing off you prized possession every month during each cruise-in and car show.  We Gearheads find the true meaning of our club and its purpose by giving back to the community in which we all call home.  From $200 donated in 2007 to $2,000 donated in 2011, we are fortunate enough to say that we have given a total of $7,500 away to many non-profit organizations, charities, and local school systems over the years.  We participate annually in the Ronald McDonald Charity Cruise-In located in Louisa, KY, Nursing Home Week here in Paintsville, donate to the Shriner’s Christmas in July, and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and participate in multiple church affiliated car shows and cruise-ins. We are also proud to say, to date, we have assisted the Kentucky Blood Center in donating 600 units of blood by promoting annual blood drives as a part of our cruise ins each year.  We gain endless support from area businesses and organizations in our quest to continue providing the donations for these causes and for this support we are truly grateful. 
    A little something else us Gearheads are passionate about is our annual Ride with a Pal cruise-in held at Archer Park in Prestonsburg, KY each year.  Ride with a Pal’s focus is on the area’s special needs population.  As a club that desires participation from all individuals, we organized this cruise-in, in hopes to spread laughter and enjoyment through our hobby. We provide these individuals with a fun-filled day of socializing, games, food, and cruising.  The children and adults are given opportunity to judge the hot rods and also participate in a parade through the city of Prestonsburg to finish their day.  Our members hold a special place in their hearts for our area’s special needs population and consider Ride with a Pal our most important event of the year.  It is in our mission to include everyone in our organization, which gives high priority to Ride with a Pal.  
    Each year we host cruise-ins every 3rd Saturday of the month in downtown Paintsville in the City parking lot on Main Street and every first Friday of the month at Advance Auto Parts of Paintsville from May through September.  We keep the cruising going year round by participating in many area Christmas parades and taking part in our annual Snowball Cruise to Dee’s Drive-In located in Louisa, KY.  Many members of our club often frequent the Somernight’s cruises located in Somerset, KY each year.  One of our biggest turnouts for cruising during 2011 was a 90-mile cruise to Hillbilly Hotdog, a restaurant in Lesage WV just north of Huntington.  Over 50 cars from all surrounding counties joined us on our journey, making our Hillbilly Hotdog cruise a huge success and perfect way to promote fellowship among our neighboring counties.  We plan to incorporate this cruise into the fabric of our car club for years to come. 
    Our car club events are family oriented and reach out to all age groups.  We love meeting new people and their rides, while also adding numbers to our club membership.  If you enjoy community events and also like an atmosphere filled with fun, food, music, games, and laughter, East Kentucky Gearheads cruise-ins and events are the place for you!

See The Map On The Home Page For The Cruiz'N Location.