The First Annual Camp Corral Car Show in Shelby NC a Success!

7:48 AM EST |June 6, 2025|Mason Beam|Cheery-Ville Column, Events, News Articles,

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By: Mason Beam – Wise News Network

Shelby, NC (WNN) – What do you do when you want to help out in a significant way? Two Cherryville locals had an answer. Dian Phillips, the manager of Golden Corral in Shelby, was given the opportunity to raise money for Camp Corral. In doing so, Dian and her husband, William Phillips started the Camp Corral Car Show at the Shelby Golden Corral location.

Dian Phillips with her children and coworker while they tally the judge’s scores. May 31st, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

What is Camp Corral?

Camp Corral is a charity put on by Golden Corral. Each business location is in charge of raising three thousand dollars or more a year. Each location is left to determine what they will do to raise the money and all proceeds go to sending children to the Camp Corral Kids Summer Camp program. This charity has twenty-one partnered camp locations around the United States, with three in North Carolina.

This program, like many, takes the form of a week-long summer camp where participants do many traditional summer camp activities and help build a sense of community. Where it differs, however, is its focus on the psychological aspects of living with those with PTSD or coming from households where one parent may have not made it home. It accomplishes this through helping them build coping skills and self-confidence in its specialized youth program.

Camp Corral Car Show Shelby NC 2025 Behind the Scenes

On May 31st, 2025, the first annual Camp Corral Car Show made its way from a local’s idea to Shelby, NC. The event was a successful first attempt hosting twenty-eight cars that caught the eye of many of the restaurant’s regulars. The event raised funds through not only car show entry fees but also food and custom merchandise sales. In the end, the day brought almost one third of the fundraiser goal for the year with a final tally of one thousand fifty-four dollars.

William Phillips as the emcee for the award ceremony. May 31st, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

This was further compounded by the generosity of all the event sponsors. Everything sold or given away that day came from sponsor donations gathered by Dian Phillips and the rest of Golden Corrals management staff. Sponsors were given a place on the shirts sold at the event, and about half the ordered stock was found at home that day.

The Cars

While stopping by, visitors would have been treated with everything from Model Ts to Chevelles and Slingshots. There were many notable customs such as a Mystery Machine. It paid homage to the show with paintings of each Mystery Gang member and character descriptions for each one. Dewey Davis, the owner, told us, “It’s kind of in memory of my mother and grandfather…” with the van matching one owned by his grandfather and his mother having a love of Scooby Doo. Davis showed his own love for music with the van’s twenty-four thousand-watt sound system.

Dewey Davis’ Mystery Machine with six total subwoofers. May 31st, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

We also spoke with Anthony Whitworth, the owner of a 1965 Chevelle Malibu. Whitworth said the car was “done from the ground up” by himself and his classmate, Marty Bowen, over a period of about eight months. He settled on the color “Brandywine Over Gold” from House of Kolor with blue flecks. This resulted in a deep and stunning color on the car. The engine is a 383 Stroker built by Greg Nolan of Kings Mountain. When Whitworth asked Nolan about the specifics of the engine, he was told it was bad luck to tell people how much horsepower his engines put out. Whitworth has respected this and has not tested for this information.

Anthony Whitworth’s 1965 Chevelle Malibu. May 31st, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

Big Dog Cruisers

One of the most significant contributors to the event’s success was “Big Dog Cruisers” out of Shelby, NC. This club filled many of the spots in the show with a beautiful array of cars. We spoke with Larry Wiley, who was representing two of his wife’s cars while she was recovering from knee surgery.

The Wiley’s 1958 Bel Air (Blue) and 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (Black). May 31st, 2025 by Mason Beam (WNN)

One of the cars, a 1958 Bel Air, won the Charlotte Motor Speedway Sam Bass Best Paint award of 2023. This Bel Air is a stunning blue with an interior to match. After hearing about them at another car show, Wiley and his wife acquired this Bel Air and 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. Wiley stated, “Basically, you just get together and you meet guys at car shows, and that’s how you get a lot of car parts, and you buy cars like that.”

While many car clubs may just go out for shows, Big Dog Cruisers also offers their cars for photo ops. While speaking with Wiley a young woman asked if she could book one of their cars for a wedding announcement. Wiley quickly set her up with a Thunderbird to take photos with at a later date. They also host their own car shows and cruise-ins with their next large event being Labor Day weekend.

Best In Show

While many trophies found their way to their new home that day every car show only has one best in show. This time the winner was Rick Smart with his 1955 Ford F-150 Panel Truck. This mint green truck has had plenty of work done by Rick’s friends and Cleveland Community College. Many of its parts are custom such as the suspension and various body mods.