29th annual Rotary Club car show set for Sept. 26

For Richard DeVito Jr., a member of the Weston & Wayland Rotary Club, relating life experiences to the cars people drive is the essence of the organization’s biggest community event: the annual Antique and Classic Car Show.

“This is an opportunity to celebrate cars. But more importantly, it’s really about how people have gone through life with these cars,” DeVito said. “People equate cars with memories. We have lots of people who walk the show and they look and go, ‘My dad had that car. I remember that trip we took.’”

The 29th annual car show will be held on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of Town Hall, 11 Town House Road. The event is rain or shine. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Pre-registration for vehicles is available through Sept. 24, and vehicles can be registered on the day of the event. Pre-registration is $25; on-site is $30.

With hundreds of cars and nearly 2,000 attendees, the show’s 29th edition is seeking to build on its momentum. Although there are few changes from last year’s show – which brought out a record 238 cars and 1,800 attendees – the low-cost, all-day event is a chance to connect with friends, spend some time in the community and check out cars ranging from Ferraris to Ford Model Ts.

In addition to the vintage vehicles, the Weston Rotary Grill will be serving up coffee and doughnuts for breakfast, as well as popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers and soft drinks.

The show’s roots trace back three decades, when Richard DeVito Sr. enlisted the help of local mechanic Victor Yerardi to organize the inaugural event to raise money for Rotary Club scholarships. In its first year, DeVito Jr. said, the show attracted about 50 vehicles and it has brought more cars and more people ever since.

While the event remains largely the same, DeVito said this year’s show will feature a new daily driver category, showing older cars that people maintain and drive each day, rather than leave them sitting in a garage.

The category was created through a donation by an attendee planning to show off his 1979 Camaro Z28. DeVito said that car is going to go alongside his son’s 1997 Jaguar XK8.

The car show serves as the main fundraiser for the organization, raising nearly $642,000 since its inception, according to the Rotary Club. Proceeds benefit the Rotary Club of Weston & Wayland’s educational scholarships and other Rotary Club projects, including the Children’s Business Fair, food insecurity programs, the Fire Department and the Police Relief Association.

For more information about the Rotary Club or the show, visit westonwaylandrotary.com/page/antique-classic-car-show