LeClaire, Iowa – 125 Trans Ams are escaping to LeClaire next week as The Bandit Run ends just across the Mississippi River.
The Bandit Run is a reenactment of the journey portrayed in Smokey and the Bandit 1977 movie. The reenactment first took place on May 15, 2007. To commemorate the 30th anniversary, a group of about 30 Trans Ams started out in Texarkana and followed the same route that the characters Bo “Bandit” Darville (Burt Reynolds) and Cledus “Snowman” Snow (Jerry Reed) made in the 1977 movie.
Operated by Restore a Muscle Car in Lincoln, Neb., the route for this annual event changes every year.
“It allows everyone to see different parts of the country, be a part of different events, and get new people and their cars involved in a week long, fun, family oriented vacation,” says Michelle Hall, Co-Owner of Restore a Muscle Car.
The 2016 Bandit Run starts on May 27 in Sandusky, Ohio, and travels through Dayton, Ohio; Nashville, Ind.; and Pontiac, Ill. before arriving in LeClaire on Thursday, June 2 around 3 p.m.
**Good Photo Opp** The Bandit Run cars parade through LeClaire at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Spending the day on Friday in LeClaire and the Quad Cities, the Bandit Run wraps up with a dinner Friday night at 5 p.m. at the Bierstube in LeClaire.
Michelle Hall says, “It's quite a lot of fun each year as we give away fun movie car awards earned along the Run. It's the designated time for our ‘family’ of Bandit Runners to say goodbye to one another for another year.”
For more information, visit www.thebanditrun.com
The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau assisted is bringing The Bandit Run to the area. The estimated economic impact of this event for the local economy is $80,000.
