ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Schools Staying Clean Car, Truck and Bike Show is back for 2021, with auto enthusiasts expected to turn out to raise funds for programs to help keep Belmont County students off drugs.

The show is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 11. Normally 300 cars or more fill the Ohio Valley Mall parking lot. Organizers including the Classy Chassis Car Club are hoping for good weather.

George Diab, manager of the mall, said the show is a welcome event.

“We’re happy to do it. It’s such a great cause, and it brings a lot of traffic to St. Clairsville and to the mall,” he said.

Programs are offered to middle school and high school students.

Co-organizer Cynthia Fregiato said enthusiasm has been high among donors and volunteers, and they raised funds last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the show. Donors were offered their money back but overwhelmingly declined.

“The vast majority of sponsors for the car show wanted us to keep the funds. I believe we only gave one back, and that was because they were bound by a grant, but other than that we were able to keep all the funds,” she said.

“We have raised to date for this car show a little over $38,000,” she said. “It will definitely come up (during the car show).”

Other activities include a 50/50 raffle. Fregiato said many donations are received the day of the car show.

“We’re very fortunate,” she said.

Fregiato said the Sept. 11 show date is close to the hearts of many.

“With what we use our funds for, and how patriotic the people who usually attend car shows are, I’m thinking we will have a great turnout. We’re also going to have the veterans of Belmont County to show the colors. That will happen at noon,” she said.

“It’s a community effort, and our students and the kids of Belmont County are the ones that benefit,” she said.

Belmont County Juvenile and Probate Judge Al Davies commended the Classy Chassis club and other volunteers. He said there are about 1,800 student members currently in the club.

“We have very high expectations. The donations have been rolling in. This is an event that a lot of folks in Belmont County and the Ohio Valley look forward to annually,” he said. “We’ve got plans to put the money to good use for the kids in the school Staying Clean program.”

Davis added the club had seen an annual increase in membership until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic “flatlined” activity.

“Our main access to the kids is obviously through the schools,” Davies said. “We’re expecting as long as schools can stay open … we’re expecting an increase of membership this year. We have several events planned this year.”

Among these is nationally renowned speaker Nathan Harmon, who will speak to all seventh and eighth grade students at the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling. The club will also continue to provide gift cards and other incentives.

Davies said organizers will also carry on extending club activity to the younger grades. He said they will also focus on vaping prevention.

“The vaping situation is out of control, and nicotine is a drug. It is a highly addictive drug. The second-most addictive drug next to heroin and fentanyl,” he said.

“This whole car show has been a gigantic help to the operation of Belmont County Schools Staying Clean,” Martins Ferry Police Chief John McFarland said. “The drug testing that we do for the seventh- through 12th-graders in every school district in Belmont County … Programs are offered to the younger kids in the middle school grades and grade school grades.”

McFarland added the disruption caused by the pandemic complicated matters.

“Our numbers were lower last year. Hopefully all that will change this year,” he said.

McFarland said while drug activity has not slowed down in Belmont County, there has not been a significant increase among youths.

Davies said his cases were down last year, but likely due to the many children out of school and away from teachers and others obligated to report suspicious activity.

“Over the course of Belmont County Schools Staying Clean, it has resulted in a decrease of drug and alcohol cases in the court,” Davies said.

They also commended the Classy Chassis club.

“If it wasn’t for these fantastic people here, we would struggle as a program and wouldn’t be able to provide all the services,” McFarland said.