For the 12th year in a row, the Magnolia Village Car Show will shut down 32nd to 34th avenues along West McGraw Street to show off cars of all types and eras.
The show — on Aug. 10, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. — is a great way to bring the community together, said Eric Berge, owner of Werner’s Crash Shop (710 Taylor Ave. N.), who took over organizing the event in 2008.
Berge and a handful of helpers get permits to block of the street and have shirts, flyers and posters made. Berge pays for those things as a nonprofit.
The money generated by the Car Show is donated to Northwest Harvest, a local food-bank distributor. Over the last five years, the Magnolia Village Car Show has donated $7,500.
“There’s people that are definitely hurting right now so if we can help out — why not?” Berge asked.
The show has between 90 and 100 cars each year.
“There’s no awards,” Berge said. “Just the celebration of the automobile itself. I was interested in doing it because I’m an enthusiast.”
The show celebrates a time when cars “weren’t so generic,” he said.
Berge knows a little something about unique cars. On top of working on cars every day, he’ll show a 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury, a 1923 Model-T Hot Rod and 1964 Chevy Chevelle.
Unlike other car shows, Berge lets anyone enter. As long as people are passionate about their car, they can enter their car or motorcycle. The $20 entrance fee goes directly to Northwest Harvest. Last year, some residents showed a Tesla and a Nissan Leaf, Berge said, which is good because those are just “another part of the automotive history.”
In addition to the car show, the Magnolia Farmers Market will be set up on an adjacent side street, and the restaurants will all be open. Berge is also coordinating a traditional rock ‘n’ roll band to play a couple of sets.
Last year, a man came up to Berge and told him he estimated there were 400 people at the car show. “I think that maybe was wishful thinking on his part,” Berge said.
Berge grew up in Magnolia and went to Queen Anne high school. He enjoys reconnecting with old friends and neighbors at the car show.
“In this world, everyone moves so damn fast,” he said. “I’ve been in Magnolia since ’58. I was in the Kiddies Parade at one point. You watch it, over the years, evolve, and it’s kind of evolved into the way it used to be.”
For more information, visit magnoliavillagecarshow.com.
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