It looks like the classic car season is coming to an end — only two more weeks left, which means that summer is officially coming to a close in Elizabethton. Where has the summer gone?
It’s been a good season for the car shows. The weather has been great, there have been some classy cars in town, and the Saturday evening events have been well attended.
The car shows are a favorite summertime event, drawing visitors from near and far – some to show their cars, others just to see them and to mingle with car enthusiasts. Most people wonder what the big deal is with car shows and what is so good about them. The answer is cars and more cars. The car shows are not just about car owners getting together to show off what they have. That is the point of the downtown car shows, but that isn’t the only thing that goes on at a car show. For that person that is bringing their car to the show it is a day that they will never forget if it is their first time showing their car.
The catchall car shows that line Elk Avenue with flawless polished steel on Saturday evenings don’t have a theme – it’s not just for American muscle or low riders or any particular vintage. A car doesn’t have to be classic to presented curbside on Elk Avenue. But it does have to be cool.
But while it’s great to have a cool car, what’s even better is a cool car with a cool story behind it.
Of the hundreds of cars that enter car shows there are only a handful of ones that are given prizes and awards during the course of the summer. Those few that do win something have been deemed the ones with the best looking cars and if that was your first car show and you won a prize then your car must have been a good looking one.
There are tons of people who go to a car show and do not have a show car. That is ok. It is estimated that Americans spend more than four years of their life behind the wheel. It then would make sense that some of their fondest memories or best conversations were had in a car. Many of these memories are shared at car shows such as the Saturday night shows in Elizabethton
This multi-generational event allows people of all ages to bond over something that is universally appealing — cars. Automobiles did enhance individuals’ freedom, but they also brought a mixed bag of permanent changes to families, communities, the nation, and our natural environment. The coming of the automobile industry fostered a huge cluster of related industries, including steel, oil, rubber, and the highway construction industry, plus more localized services such as auto repair, restaurants and lodging. This translated into millions of jobs.
Just another reason people like cars.
The Saturday evening gatherings have character. Sometimes they are fundraisers. Sometimes are they are just for fun, a pleasant way to socialize on a warm evening. The shows always have some interesting cars and offer the chance to meet – or watch– intriguing people.
The Carter County Car Club is to be commended for the work members put into the weekly car shows. Their work and contributions to the community are often overlooked. Their work has made a small-town show big – a show that brings out the best of the best. And people come to see.
It is a huge volunteer effort, complete with music and food. Downtown restaurants are open for the evening as well as some stores.
As the car show season draws to a close in Elizabethton, we say “thanks” to the Carter County Car Club for another great show in town. It’s been good!