The number of auto enthusiasts participating in Cruise Cochrane has flourished over the years and no different is expected this Saturday.

The launch of its sixth season of cruising the highways and byways is this Saturday at Cochrane GM. It'll begin with a mini show and shine with vehicles starting to show up at 10 a.m. before heading out shortly before noon to an even larger event being hosted at the New Horizons Mall in Balzac.

"They'll be a wide variety of cars, everything from the old hot rods-style all the way up to the late model corvettes that are basically brand new," says Cochrane Cruise founder Jim Messner.

As always, people are welcome to join the cruisers at their mini-show to check out the vehicles and chat with their drivers.

"We love having families and children. Everybody's welcome, absolutely, and there's never a charge. The gang likes showing off their cars and talking to people and quite often it's amazing who you get to meet. Of course, it puts a smile on the kids' faces, so we like that, too."

The number of sponsors stepping forward with door prizes has also grown. Messner had already collected them for the entire season and says he's having a hard time finding space to store them.

While weather-dependent, there's a pretty full schedule ahead for participants. Next Saturday, they're holding another mini show and shine at Cabeza Grande Tacos & Tequila that's limited to the first 20 cruisers registered. The weekend after, it's off to the popular Street Freaks Car Show in Three Hills.

"We've got that, and there's a whole variety of different things that we're going to be doing. In fact, there are a couple more dates that we haven't solidified yet."

"Yeah, it's going to be a good year."

To keep up to date with their plans click here.