Fun for the entire family: Annual tax collector car show in Ocala is set for Feb. 26

Andy Fillmore
·4 min read

Marion County Tax Collector George Albright feels local car enthusiasts are weary of cancellations and eager to go to a car show.

“People are ready to get outside and enjoy looking at some cars and having a fun family day,” he said.

Early registrations are brisk for the 12th annual Marion County Tax Collector's Charity Car Show, which will be held on Feb. 26, Albright said in a phone interview.

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The event will offer a wide variety of collectible vehicles, and members of several area Antique Automobile Club of America chapters are expected to display cars in the show, Albright stated.

“We’ve already had about 35 (advance) entries, which is ahead of any prior year,” Albright said.

The annual tax collector's car show will have its 12th edition later this month. This photo is from the 2014 show.
The annual tax collector's car show will have its 12th edition later this month. This photo is from the 2014 show.

Prior years have seen upwards of 160 vehicles on display.

Entrants can sign up through Feb. 15 for $15 or enter the day of the show for $20.

Masks are optional at the event, Albright said.

Entrants expected in this year’s show include a rebuilt 1948 convertible Jeepster, award winning 1937 Packard sedan and a peddler’s truck like the one used by the character Mr. Haney on the TV show "Green Acres."

Tax Collector George Albright, left, congratulates his cousin Lori Martin Gregory, center, at an election event on Sept. 21. His annual car show helps bring in thousands of dollars for local charities.
Tax Collector George Albright, left, congratulates his cousin Lori Martin Gregory, center, at an election event on Sept. 21. His annual car show helps bring in thousands of dollars for local charities.

The annual event, which was canceled last year, will also offer food, crafts, antique car parts swap spaces, and fun for the whole family, all while supporting a host of local charities.

A change this year: Sellers of general antiques like glass and furniture are welcome but azaleas will not be sold due to a lack of available plants.

Vendors are required to bring their own tables.

Car lovers already are planning which vehicles to show

Ocala attorney Frank Amatea plans to enter his fully restored 1948 Willys-Overland Jeepster convertible.

According to the website for Kaiser Willys Auto Supply in Aiken, South Carolina, kaiserwillys.com, the Willys-Overland Jeepster combined the features of the Willys Station Wagon and Truck to try to "bridge the gap" between the "utilitarian" post-war "CJ" Jeep series and the "family oriented" station wagons.

The website indicates the first Jeepster in 1948 featured rear-wheel drive and a 62-horsepower, four-cylinder engine.

Frank Amatea of Ocala leans against his 1948 Jeepster on Monday. He will be showing it in the George Albright Marion County Tax Collector 12th annual Charity Car Show on Feb. 26 at the McPherson Governmental Complex, 503 SE 25th Ave., Ocala. Proceeds from the event support Marion County charities.
Frank Amatea of Ocala leans against his 1948 Jeepster on Monday. He will be showing it in the George Albright Marion County Tax Collector 12th annual Charity Car Show on Feb. 26 at the McPherson Governmental Complex, 503 SE 25th Ave., Ocala. Proceeds from the event support Marion County charities.

Amatea, a native of Pittsburgh, has been a car fancier since the 1960s and has owned a Austin Healy Sprite and currently has a 1962 Porsche 356 Roadster and 1957 Porsche Speedster replica, which was a Star-Banner featured "Reader Ride."

The Jeepster was originally acquired from a local party in the road building trade, put into storage, and later completely refurbished and updated with many parts replaced.

Body work and the current turquoise and aqua color paint was done by Liles Collision of Ocala.

Amatea called the Jeepster "nostalgic" and said the convertible draws a lot of friendly "honks and waves."

Frank and Pamela Stafford of Ocala plan to show their Antique Automobile Club of American Senior Award winning maroon 1937 Packard Super 8 Touring Sedan, also a Star-Banner featured car, at the Feb. 26 show. This marks seven years the couple has shown cars at the show.

Frank Stafford stands next to his 1937 Packard outside his home in Ocala on Dec. 31, 2020.
Frank Stafford stands next to his 1937 Packard outside his home in Ocala on Dec. 31, 2020.

"The tax collector's show is an open show (and) you may see anything from a Model T to a (late model) Corvette," Frank Stafford said.

The Packard will be one of several entries by members of the Ocala Region of the Kingdom of the Sun Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America expected at the show, Stafford said.

Lou Ann DeSantis with the Tax Collector's Office stated in an email the office looks forward to a successful show with a large turnout of cars and spectators.

DeSantis estimated the show has garnered a total of about $175,000 for local charities over its 12-year run.

Interfaith Emergency Services is among the many local nonprofits that benefit from the annual tax collector car show.
Interfaith Emergency Services is among the many local nonprofits that benefit from the annual tax collector car show.

"Every year we have given Interfaith Emergency Services a check for $5,000 after each show for the Food 4 Kids program. All year long we send money to Interfaith for this program (probably around $2,000 per month). We also donate canned food, coats, school supplies, and clothes," she wrote.

"We support Bring the Harvest Home, Helping Hands, Vets Helping Vets, The American Heart Association, autism research (C.A.R.D.), Marion County Humane Society, Forest Animal Rescue, Breast Cancer walk, Bus Brigade, Wreaths Across America, the Interfaith warehouse and food pantry just to name some of the many groups we help during the year," DeSantis stated.

Gene Liles, of Liles Collision Service of Ocala, plans to display his 1935 International pickup, a truck he said is nicknamed a "huckster" which was used by salespeople "like Mr. Haney on "Green Acres" to sell his wares," he said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: 12th annual County Tax Collector’s Charity Car Show

HOW MUCH: Free admission for spectators; $20 day-of-event charge for showing a vehicle

For more information, contact Jacob Wicklein at (352) 368-8206 or jwicklein@mariontax.com

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala, Florida car show helps local charities; will be held Feb. 26