With well over a hundred autos shined up and ready for display, the Knights Ferry Classic Car Show was a popular destination on Saturday, April 2.
It was a picture perfect day for strolling the streets and taking in the wide variety of classic cars and trucks, with bright spring sunshine, a cooling breeze coming off the nearby Stanislaus River and warm temperatures bringing a big crowd to town.
Staged on the main street through the community, the line of classics stretched the length of the thoroughfare. There were cars, trucks, works in progress and plenty of shop talk. There was also food, music, raffle drawings, car show merchandise for sale and more.
Waterford resident Kevin McIntyre had a 1955 Chevy 210 Wagon on display, a unique green color. Beside it was a matching ice chest, complete with fancy pin striping.
“My favorite color is green and the guy that painted the car custom made it for me,” he said of the ice chest, which was a gift from his wife.
He said the car took him about six years to restore, doing the work himself.
“I probably go to about 20 shows a year,” he said of enjoying the camaraderie with the other classic car enthusiasts.
Bringing his 1950 Buick to the rolling hills of Knights Ferry, Doug George of Escalon was embracing the experience.
“This is a great place for a show, the weather is great, there are a lot of cars, a nice crowd,” George said.
He has been to a couple of car shows so far this year and said he is also looking forward to the return of the Escalon Lions Club Car Show this fall, being planned for September.
Traffic was detoured around the Main Street corridor on Saturday, sent around the side streets, and there were some delays for motorists not anticipating the popular show. Many people from throughout the Central Valley and beyond make Knights Ferry a weekend destination during warm weather for recreating on or along the river. This past Saturday, there were even more in town for the show.
“This is a 1970 Mustang Coupe,” Eric Mello of Escalon said, as he relaxed with some friends next to his vehicle.
He put plenty of elbow grease and time into restoring the vehicle and has been putting it in shows for the past couple of years. His first venture into the car show world as a participant was at the Stockton Fairgrounds two years ago. He also had a 1966 Ford Mustang on display in Knights Ferry and said he just enjoys being able to showcase the classics.
Elsewhere, a couple of different groups were cooking up items for the crowd to eat, the downtown ice cream parlor was doing a brisk business, and the Knights Ferry museum saw a steady stream of visitors as well.
Organizers had several awards to hand out as part of the show and many people enjoyed the chance to take photos of the classics and talk with the owners, getting a firsthand look at some showpiece machines.
