'A car show weekend.' Father's Day brings 350 cars to Main Street in Hyannis

George Kostinas
Updated ·4 min read
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Blue ones, red ones, big ones, smaller ones, old ones and newer ones. Cars and trucks with glistening chrome and shining paint jobs will line the whole of Main Street in Hyannis Sunday, June 18, for the annual Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce Father’s Day Car Show.

Actually, the event will be a culmination of a weekend of cars, starting on Friday evening, June 16, with the Friday Night Classic Cruise & Kickoff Party from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Copeland Chevrolet in Hyannis.

On Saturday, June 17, the Cape Cod Classic Car Club will present another car show from 5 to 7 p.m. at Patriot Square in South Dennis.

The organizers of that event will then help with the Father’s Day car show in Hyannis, said Marty Bruemmel, president and CEO of the Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce.

“That makes it a car show weekend,” Bruemmel said.

Show has been Father's Day tradition since 1996

The car show in Hyannis has become a Father's Day tradition dating back to 1996 when the event was called the “Father’s Day Car Rally.”

It was something special for the dads to do on their day.

“And it also brings in a lot of people to Hyannis before the summer scene really starts,” Bruemmel said.

Since then it has grown to become “one of the largest outdoor events in New England,” he said.

With a maximum capacity of 350 cars, taking up all of Main Street from Ocean Street onward, the event is expected to attract 30,000 to 40,000 people, Bruemmel said.

“It could be even more, maybe up to 50,000,” he said.

Classic cars line the street at the 25th Annual Greater Hyannis Father's Day Car Show on Main Street in 2019.
Classic cars line the street at the 25th Annual Greater Hyannis Father's Day Car Show on Main Street in 2019.

And in an updated press release, Bruemmel said that number could actually be up to 60,000.

The popularity of the event, of course, is due to the variety of interesting cars and trucks in the show.

One such truck is a 1967 Dodge D100 pickup, which has become something of a rarity.

According to Hemmings Motor News, “finding any 1960s light truck in good condition is becoming increasingly challenging as most were subjected to the rigors of a workday existence, then tossed aside when their usable service life had expired.”

Some of the cars at this year's show

Another classic car in the show is a 1961 Chevrolet Impala, a sporty car with long lines in the front while sloping to the rear.

A vintage 911T Porsche with its classic Porsche body design will also be on display along with a 1971 Ford Bronco, a jeep-style utility vehicle, a 1957 Chevy Nomad - which is something like a station wagon with fins in the back - and a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1, a real “muscle car.”

A few other cars of interest that recently registered for the show are a 1939 Jaguar from South Yarmouth, a 1966 Chevelle from Wellfleet, and the oldest car in the show, a 1926 Model T from Dennis.

With umbrella in hand, Sandy Blajda, of West Yarmouth, takes a photo of her husband, Dan Blajda, and his 1981 Checker Cab Marathon as he wipes away the rain. The Father's Day Car Show returned last year to Main Street after a couple of years off due to the pandemic.
With umbrella in hand, Sandy Blajda, of West Yarmouth, takes a photo of her husband, Dan Blajda, and his 1981 Checker Cab Marathon as he wipes away the rain. The Father's Day Car Show returned last year to Main Street after a couple of years off due to the pandemic.

The Henry “Hank” Farnham Participant’s Choice Award will be presented to 40 vehicles.

Interestingly, while the owners of the cars come from all over New England, and sometimes in the past as far as New Jersey and New York, most of this year's car owners are from Cape Cod, Bruemmel said.

Where the cars are coming from

This year, the car making the longest trip to the Cape is from Danbury, Connecticut.

Dash plaques will be provided to all the car owners so people can read about each of the cars.

Bruemmel said some of the owners may allow people to touch the cars or sit in them, but that is up to the owners.

Most of the car owners do not want people touching their cars, he said, mainly because they are so expensive.

“Some are worth over $100,000,” said Bruemmel.

Over the years, additional attractions have been part of the event, such as bands and crafts.

“This year, we dedicated it to being exclusively a car show — cars and trucks,” said Bruemmel.

The stars coming to this year's show

There will be two special guests this year, Bill Stephens and Shirley Muldowney.

Stephens is a network television host and commentator specializing in automotive and motor sports presentations, and he is an on-air commentator for NBCSN for Mecum auctions.

In 1973, Muldowney, known professionally as "Cha, Cha" and “The First Lady of Drag Racing,” was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association to drive a Top Fuel Dragster.

She won the NHRA Top Fuel Championships in 1977, 1980 and 1982, making her the first driver to win three Top Fuel titles.

As usual, restaurants and businesses along Main Street will be open for business during the car show.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Place to park: Father's Day auto show puts 350 vehicles on Main Street