Art Car Tour rolling through

Rex Rosenberg of Great Bend, Kan., and his art car called "BugWing," a cross between a Goldwing motorcycle and a Volkswagen Beetle. (Rex Rosenberg/Courtesy photo)

CAMBRIDGE -- On Friday afternoon, a whimsical, artsy event will come cruising into Cambridge.

The first-ever "Route 6 Nebraska Art Car Tour" began earlier this week, traveling parade-style and stopping for events in many communities and overnight in Lincoln, Hastings and Minden

The cars will be displayed in Cambridge on Friday, from 4 until 8 p.m., for a "Taste of Cambridge" event in the City Park at the east edge of town, catered by the Cambridge Bed & Breakfast.

The Cambridge Bed & Breakfast and Pinpoint are sponsors for the event, with additional complimentary rooms for the artists provided by the Bunkhouse Motel and Dr. and Mrs. Bob Stear.

They will begin arriving in McCook around 8:30 a.m. Saturday and will be on display for a short time on the 300 Block of Norris Avenue, while stopping at the Sehnert's Bakery and Bieroc Cafe for refreshments. Their route around McCook includes traveling the sections of Old US Hwy 6 both east and west of McCook, and a trip up and down Norris Avenue and around the Norris Park "Heritage Square."

The cars will be in Imperial Saturday morning for Chase County Fair activities.

What is an art car?

An art car is a street-legal car that has been painted, decorated, or modified, explained Don Robertson of Hastings, coordinator for the tour.

Art cars on the tour include the award-winning "BugWing," a combination of a Goldwing motorcycle and a Volkswagen Beetle (www.bugwing.com) and the "JAO Artmobile" (www.jaoart.com).

Robertson's own car, the "Route 6 Cruiser," displays the Nebraska map and promotes tourism along Route 6. He said he has always driven oddly-decorated cars, and learned of the national "Art Car Movement" when one day someone complimented him on his art car.

The mission behind the art car tour is to promote tourism and build on the new Route 6 Nebraska organization, which has created a Web site (www.route6nebras ka.com) and color brochure to promote the region. The web site offers additional information on this event.

The cars and artists will be leaving from Minden on Friday morning, stopping for lunch in Holdrege, and arriving in Cambridge mid-afternoon.

The tour continues from Cambridge through the communities along Route 6 early Saturday morning and is scheduled to arrive in Imperial for a 10 a.m. (MT) parade for the Chase County Fair.

Robertson invites local art cars to join the parade or bring their own art cars to the events on the tour and hopes for a good turnout to see the cars and visit with the artists, showing them Nebraska hospitality.