Burning rubber in Corning

On Friday the large plume of black acidic smelling smoke drifting above Corning City Hall and the Corning Police Station should not call for much alarm. Its one of the signs of the Olive City once again putting out the welcome mat and doing what it does best.

What started as a grand opening for Corning Ford when it moved to its then new location on Short Drive, has grown into one of the more popular northstate events. The Corning Car Show.

One of the highlights of the event is the burn outs where contestants are encouraged and even cheered on to spin out and burn rubber. Often under the watchful eye of Corning's own police chief who is cheering right along with the rest of the crowd. Taking place in the shadow of the police station, the event in recent years has been expended to two days with finals on Saturday.

For the past dozen years the event has been sponsored by the Corning Chamber of Commerce and its small by devoted army of volunteers. The Corning Car Show committee has been directed by Andrea White and Pete Daggorret. This year Doug Hatley filled Daggorts shows as co-chairperson. 

"It goes without saying this event could not take place without the support of its many sponsors, the City of Corning and the tireless efforts of all those that spend countless hours putting the even together," said White.

Even former Corning Observer reporter Sean Wilson will get into the act serving again as the announcer for the event. The Observer is proud to be one of this year's sponsors and will be open all day Saturday.

So when the smoke clears on Saturday and the last of the classic cars, motorcycles and trucks have hit the highway, both Hatley and White should feel like they have accomplished something special. Another year has pasted, another dashboard plaque collected and another Olive City success under their belts.