The American automobile industry got its first superstar in 1901with the Curved-Dash Oldsmobile.

Produced in the days when vehicles were still known as “horselesscarriages,” the 1901 Olds featured a single bench seat, no doors orwindshield and a steering stick rather than a steering wheel. At$650, it was the first gasoline-powered car to be mass-produced andenjoy good sales.

Less than 400 were made in 1901.

One of them still lives in Lincoln County, and it will be ondisplay Saturday at the Ole Brook Cruisers’ annual Goin’ to TownCruise-in. Beginning at 9 a.m. in downtown Brookhaven’s cityparking lots on Railroad Avenue, around 150 cars of all makes andmodels will be on display at Brookhaven’s biggest car show.

“If you’re a motor head or a car enthusiast, you need to be there,”said T-Tommy Smith, a member of the Ole Brook Cruisers and car showorganizer. “And if you’re not, you still need to be there. Therewill be something there you’ve never seen before.”

Admission to the Goin’ to Town Cruise-in is free. Aside from morethan 100 cars on what is expected to be a beautiful day,temperatures in the mid-60s and sunny, the show will featureconcessions for sale, assorted vendors, door prizes for registeredcar owners and vehicle parts vendors.

Car owners can register their vehicles for the show for $10 bycalling T-Tommy at 601-833-8620. Latecomers may driver theirclassic cars straight to the show Saturday morning and enter for$15.

All participating owners will take part in choosing the best car onthe grounds.

Smith said the show would be attended by many local car owners, andthe Ole Brook Cruisers’ friends and contacts from Jackson,Pensacola, Fla., and parts of Arkansas will make the drive down toBrookhaven. The cars displayed will be diverse, featuring streetrods, dragsters, muscle cars, classic 1950s Chevrolets andmore.

The owners will be just as varied.

“Everyone from doctors to lawyers to Indian chiefs,” Smith said.”The car show brings people in from outside of the area and exposesthem to Brookhaven.”

Exposure to Brookhaven is good for Brookhaven, and that’s why theBrookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce is helping theCruisers put on the show.

Cliff Brumfield, the chamber’s executive vice president, said heexpects around 2,000 people to drop into downtown for the car show,providing an economic uptick for the area as car owners andvisitors shop, eat and fuel up for the ride home.

Car shows aren’t only good for the city’s coffers, Brumfield said.They’re also good for the heart.

“It offers something for all ages. Young people enjoy the carsbecause the cars themselves are a form of art, and it gives adultsthe chance to reminisce and look at older models that are tied totheir youth,” he said. “It’s always great to visit with car ownersand enjoy the camaraderie while they tell you the history of theircars and what they’ve done with them.”

Camaraderie was the reason the Ole Brook Cruisers formed 28 yearsago. T-Tommy’s wife Cynthia said local car owners interested informing a club were invited to a meeting at Western Sizzlin’ inearly 1982. More than 50 people showed up.

The Goin’ to Town Cruise-in has been hosted since 1985, barring afew missed years due to weather and other problems.

The proceeds from the annual event are always given to charity,with the Ole Brook Cruisers giving close to $1,000 every year togroups like the Mississippi Baptist Children’s Village, BrookhavenAnimal Rescue League and the Mississippi Street Rod Association’sscholarship fund. The Cruisers also help needy individuals in thecar-owning brotherhood.

“We’ve never had any need for the money after we’ve made it, sowe’ve always given it to charity,” Cynthia Smith said. “We onlykeep a little bit in the bank to get us rolling every year and wehave a lot of scholarship help, so any money we make is donated tolocal charities.”