In 2018, the Downtown Association (DA) took over running Car d’Lane from the North Idaho Classic Car Club (NICCC), which had run the cruise and show for years, by utilizing a provision in the multi-year contract to renegotiate it’s provisions.

Their new proposal eliminated a substantial portion of the revenue given to NICCC, which NICCC donated to local charities. Since 2010, the NICCC contributed between $5,000 and $6,750 each year from the proceeds of the show to local charities, averaging $5,885 per year, not including an NIC Scholarship Endowment for $10,165.

When the DA took over, they said they would also contribute proceeds from the cruise and show to local charities. The first year with substantial publicity and controversy about the change from NICCC to the DA, the DA contributed more than $6,000 to charities. In 2019, when the publicity and controversy died down, the DA contributed a mere $1,700.

It is disappointing that the DA feels the need to gain revenue at the expense of local charities. I hope that will change this year.

TAD LEACH

Coeur d’Alene