LAKE ELSINORE -- Jennifer Cousins grew up around parents who liked older cars. Then, while most teenage girls probably had other things on their mind, she too caught the bug for the classics.

Most owners of classic cars get attached to ones they may have grown up with, but not Cousins. Her pride and joy is a car that is more than 20 years older than she is.

When the 22-year-old woman was at a car show in Lake Elsinore with her parents about six years ago, they saw a man with a classic Ford Mustang for sale.

"I guess my parents had been looking at it," Cousins said. "And I got it for my 'Sweet 16' birthday."

"My mom told me I was never going to find another '64 1/2 Mustang," she said with a smile. "I just fell in love with it when I saw it."

The 1964 1/2 Mustang -- yes, the 1/2 is important when it comes to cars -- is still hers and now the Lake Elsinore woman displays her pride and joy at local shows.

The next one will be in her hometown at Saturday's annual Historic Downtown Rod Run.

The event -- run for the second year by the city, the Downtown Merchants Association and the Lake Elsinore Chamber of Commerce -- will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. along Main Street, which will be closed from Franklin Street to City Park.

More than 100 classic cars are expected to be on display, said Ruth Atkins of the merchants association.

"We'll have a lot of things going on," Atkins said, including music, food booths, vendors and raffles to benefit Helping Our People of Elsinore.

While the car show is free, visitors can pay $12 to partake of a barbecue being put on by Main Street Pub and Grill. A percentage of the revenue from those tickets will go to the local Boys & Girls Club, Atkins said.

Those wishing to enter their car in the show should arrive between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday to register.

The daughter of Kim Cousins, president of the chamber and member of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District board, Jennifer estimates that she's shown her Mustang at more than a dozen car shows -- mostly in Temecula and Lake Elsinore. She even took home the "Merchants Choice" award for best in show at last year's event in Lake Elsinore, she said.

The classic white beauty with the hard top is nearly stock, complete with original paint, tires and rims, Cousins said. Under the hood sits the original 289-cubic-inch engine which has logged just more than 94,000 miles and been through some minor repairs.

"I guess it's kind of unusual for a girl to be this into a car like this," Cousins said.

But she is, evidenced by how carefully she opens the driver's side door and gets in to fire the engine up.

The car mostly sits safely in a garage, rarely going anywhere but to a car show.

"I don't want to put a lot of miles on it," Cousins said.

Although she's been offered as much as $40,000 for the classic car, Cousins says she has no plans to part with it.

"It has a lot of sentimental value to me," she said. "My dad says if I ever decide to sell it, I have to sell it to him."

She said she enjoys the shows because it is nice to see "all these old cars are still around and people still take such good care of them.

"It's like a piece of history" right there in front of you, Cousins said.

Last year's car show in Lake Elsinore drew about 3,000 people to the city's downtown area, organizers say.

And that's a good thing, according to a sampling of downtown merchants.

Vicki Mora, owner of Mora's Antiques on Main Street, said she expects this year's turnout to be even bigger than last year's.

"We do see an increase in business because of it," she said, adding that a lot of people stop in to check out the downtown businesses while at the car show.

"Our little town is changing big time," Mora said, commenting on the size of the show.

This will be the first time that Pat Shepherd's Decor Consignment Shoppe will be located inside the area of the car show. She relocated her store to its present location on Main Street in January.

"I'm really looking forward to all the activity from this," she said. "I hope it will really stimulate our business."

Down Main Street, not far from City Hall is Sports Plus, which contains a selection of athletic goods.

Veronica Gomez said she saw a significant amount of business when people came back to make purchases after first discovering Sports Plus the day of the car show last year.

"This brings a lot of visitors to the city, especially downtown, which is what we all really need," Gomez said.

Call (951) 678-1537 or (951) 245-8848.

Contact staff writer John Hall at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com.

Historic Lake Elsinore Downtown Rod Run

- When: 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday

- Where: On Main Street. Franklin Street to City Park will be closed for the event

- Cost: Free to come to the show. Car owners can register at Franklin and Main streets from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday.

- At the event: There will be food, music and vendors, along with a raffle to benefit Helping Our People of Elsinore and a $12 barbecue at Main Street Pub and Grill to help the local Boys & Girls Club

- Information: Call (951) 678-1537 or (951) 245-8848