From classic and antique cars, to those custom rides, the Emerald Coast Headturners have it all.
As a part of Caliber’s community outreach, our team is excited to sponsor the upcoming “Cruisin’ the Beach” Car Show, hosted at the De’france Indoor Flea Market in conjunction with the Emerald Coast Headturners and StreetPredatorzFWB.
Periodically, the Emerald Coast Headturners hosts car shows that benefits a local organization and brings together community members for a weekend of classic, custom, and antique cars. This month, the event will be held in Fort Walton Beach on Saturday, May 22 from 9AM-2PM. The event will include raffles and trophies for over 18 different categories, including some free car washes at Caliber. Steve Coates, Vice President of the Emerald Coast Headturners, says the group is thrilled to bring together the local car community and work with the fellow car group StreetPredatorzFWB.
“We are excited to bring the two organizations together for the first time locally. We are hoping to turn this into an annual event and only grow the message for the cause. We are expecting approximately 150 cars from all makes and models from classic to new age,” said Coates.
The Emerald Coast Headturners are proud to be a community organization that prides themselves on local outreach. The proceeds from this car show will go to a local charity organization called Sleep Heavenly Peace. This organization helps build beds for kids whose parents can’t afford them, giving the children a chance to have a warm place to sleep so they can focus on school and other activities in their life. If you want to sign up, you can buy early registration tickets here for $25.
As a newer car club, the Emerald Coast Headturners are hopeful to continue to host community events to bring all car-lovers together. The Headturners organization was founded 10 years ago, and it was built around the Fast and Furious motto of “family.” The organization is actually a worldwide club with chapters all over the United States, a few in Germany, and potentially a future one in Japan. As a military member of the US Air Force, Coates has been part of the organization for many years.
“As military members of the US Air Force, we move a lot based on mission requirements. I was stationed in the Washington DC area from 2016 to 2019 and during this time, I became a member of the District [Headturners] Chapter and eventually helped to start up the Maryland Chapter,” said Coates.
When Coates moved back to the Panhandle, he wanted to continue to grow the Headturners brand and showcase his love of cars. That’s when he decided to start the Emerald Coast Chapter, just a few years ago, and the group grew tremendously within a few months. Because of their location in the Panhandle, many of their members are part of the military or dependents/spouses of military members. Coates says it’s extremely important for their chapter to get rid of the negative connotation surrounding car clubs and showcase their family values.
“We want to be the most noticeable vehicles around town in a positive way,” said Coates.
Other members say they don’t know where they would be without the organization.
“Headturners (HT) was one of the best things that’s happened to me. I’ve made more friends, who have quickly became family. I’ve gotten closer to two of my friends who have recently joined the group as well as found other car enthusiast that share the same passion,” said Headturners member Joseph. “HT isn’t just a name, it’s a family. I couldn’t thank these guys enough for all the smiles and memories they’ve helped me gain.”
The Car club has been part of other community events, including the Christmas parade for the Air Force Enlisted Village. Coates says it was a huge success, as many of those residents had not left their home since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The smiles we provided were priceless, in my opinion and the feedback we received was outstanding. We have been asked to come back for the Memorial Day Parade and the Christmas parade again,” said Coates.
With a growing organization, the Emerald Coast Headturners say they are excited for future growth and opportunities to bring the local car community together. And the club’s members reiterate that family values are a core principal for the organization to create that local unity.
“HeadTurners isn’t just a car club, we are a family. As a club we all look out for each other, build each other up and help one another grow. We all share a common passion, a bond, that can’t be broken,” said member Nathan.
If you are interested in joining, you can search your local area for chapters near you on Instagram. If there isn’t a chapter, you can check out their Facebook page here.
