'A passion': Classic autos return for giant Father's Day Car Show in Hyannis + 2 smaller car shows

Barbara Clark
·4 min read

Close to 350 cars from before 1997 will show off their best look and shine Sunday along Hyannis' Main Street, drawing tens of thousands of visitors for the first Father’s Day Car Show in three years.

The 26th annual car show — described by organizers as one of the most popular events each year on Cape Cod and one of the best-attended family auto events in New England — will also include entertainment. Jonathan Thompson, the “unofficial mayor of Cape Cod,” and DJ Angel (Angel Robinson Jr.) will spin tunes in front of the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.

A 1959 Edsel Ranger was among the cars at the 25th annual Father's Day Car Show in 2019 on Hyannis Main Street. CAPE COD TIMES FILE
A 1959 Edsel Ranger was among the cars at the 25th annual Father's Day Car Show in 2019 on Hyannis Main Street. CAPE COD TIMES FILE

Shops and restaurants along Main Street will welcome visitors in the return of an event (after a two-year miss due to COVID-19 concerns) that is likely to please dads, car lovers, the merchants and just plain summertime strollers.

“It will be good to see families out and about, talking with others, enjoying the day, the cars, the music,” says Marty Bruemmel, president and CEO of the Greater Hyannis Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the event.

Readers rejoice: Nantucket Book Festival: Best-selling authors & the Rock Bottom Remainders band

The section of Main Street between Ocean and Sea streets will be shut down to vehicle traffic for the show from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Father's Day. Chamber officials expect more than 50,000 visitors may attend this year. “I’ve already been fielding so many calls and emails from people seeking information about the show,” Bruemmel says.

Classic cars line the street at the 25th annual Father's Day Car Show in Hyannis in 2019.
Classic cars line the street at the 25th annual Father's Day Car Show in Hyannis in 2019.

To be part of the big display, cars must be 25 years or older and be pre-registered through the chamber. More than 40 awards will be presented to cars in different categories. Owners of participating vehicles also get to vote for a show favorite, which will win the coveted Participants’ Choice Award.

This weekend: 'Representation matters': Provincetown film fest hosts stars, directors and 'Pink Flamingos' in diverse lineup

Also on display, says Bruemmel, will be up to 40 “special interest” cars dating from between 1997 and 2022. These vehicles are customized or have what Bruemmel calls “special added features,” with a lineup that may include unique Corvettes, Porsches and custom race cars.

The big Hyannis show has represented a joint effort between the chamber and the Cape Cod Classics Car Club. More than 15 club volunteers work on the complicated process of parking the cars in their designated spots for the event. According to club president Ron Danielson, they begin the “well-tuned process” at 5:30 a.m. on the morning of the show, moving vehicles in groups of 10 from the staging area on North Street and parking them in their final places on Main Street.

More car events

And car lovers get a triple-dip treat on this “dad” weekend. As an “opening act” for the Hyannis show, the club will host a “Pre-Hyannis Father’s Day Show” from 4:30 p.m. to dusk on Saturday at Patriot Square shopping center on Route 134 in South Dennis.

The 2018 McLaren 570s was one of the newer cars displayed in 2019 at the Father's Day Car Show on Main Street, Hyannis. CAPE COD TIMES FILE
The 2018 McLaren 570s was one of the newer cars displayed in 2019 at the Father's Day Car Show on Main Street, Hyannis. CAPE COD TIMES FILE

More than 125 cars of all varieties and from varying years will take part in the free, family-friendly South Dennis event, with no pre-registration required. The public is welcome.

The Classics Car Club, which existed informally as far back as the 1950s, was formalized in 2005 and members also gather for “cruise-ins” most Saturday nights during the summer. Originally accepting only American-made cars, the club now welcomes any “car of interest,” including trucks and motorcycles.

Theater reviews: 'You're the one that I want': What critics love about 'Grease' and 4 other shows on Cape Cod stages

This year’s special Father’s Day show is expected to feature up to 150 cars, and there will be food available for purchase.

Collecting and restoring cars is “definitely a passion” for many who get involved in the club, according to public relations and events manager Lin Danielson (Ron’s wife). “Every car owner has a story” to tell, she says. Many are not “professional car people,” she adds, just lovers of the vehicle they own.

Also happening this weekend will be an informal gathering for registered Father’s Day Car Show participants and their vehicles from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Copeland Chevrolet and Subaru, 22 Ridgewood Ave., Hyannis. The public is invited to view the cars there, too. The event will feature Mecum Auto Auction’s Bill Stephens, a TV auto show personality and motorsports author, to chat with car enthusiasts. The Cousins Maine Lobster Food Truck will be on site.

Information on Sunday’s Father’s Day Car Show: https://www.hyannis.com/2021-hyannis-chamber-car-show. Information on Saturday’s cruise night: https://capecodclassics.org/.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Classic autos back at giant Cape Cod Father's Day Car Show + 2 others