SACO — Visitors to downtown Saco Saturday will see a flash from the past as classic cars line both sides of the street during Saco Spirit’s fifth annual car show.
Saco Police Officer Mike Tremblay, member of Saco Spirit’s car show committee, said 54 cars had been pre-registered. Many people typically wait until the last minute to register, he said, to make sure the weather holds up, and last year, there were around 200 vehicles on display.
The show begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m., with awards handed out around 12:30, said Tremblay. Some people are so enthusiastic about the event, that they’ll show up as early as 6 a.m., he said.
Prizes will be awarded for “The Best Of Categories,” including the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, Foreign Car, Muscle Car, Street Rod, Pre-World War II Car, and Post World War II Truck, according to a prepared statement from Nadeen DeSilva, executive director of local economic development group Saco Spirit.
The event attracts local car buffs as well as those from away, some transporting their antique vehicles in trailers. Tremblay said there are a few people coming down from Canada for the show.
DeSilva said in the statement that the event is “great family fun.”
“This is a great opportunity for spectators to visit our local merchants and shop along Saco’s beautiful Main Street,” she said.
Tremblay said there will also be a deejay playing songs from the 1950s and ’60s.
“It’s a great day, and a great way to promote Saco and Saco Spirit,” said Tremblay.
“It’s a fun day for everyone,” he said. “It’s a good time.”
Tremblay will be displaying his 1924 American LaFrance Fire truck, which he has displayed at other events and driven in parades.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It turns a lot of heads.”
He said part of the appeal of owning an older vehicle is a sense of nostalgia. Also, people don’t have to be “a master mechanic” to work on them or diagnose a problem.
“It’s a nostalgia thing,” he said.
Some of the more unique cars he’s seen in past shows include a 1950s Packard convertible that was at its first show after being newly refurbished.
“It was just unreal,” he said.
Other unique cars include a 1914 Model T Hack delivery truck with side screens, and a Russian car from the 1950s.
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else pops up,” he said.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].
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