When it comes to celebrating Father’s Day, some dads like to stick to the classics.
That’s why many local families spent the day at Stan Hywet’s 59th Annual Classic, Antique and Collector Father’s Day Car Show on Sunday.
A rainbow of nearly 400 classic, antique and collector cars manufactured from 1925 to 1990 lined the grass of Stan Hywet’s meadow area as people of all ages observed the cars’ open engines and glossy finishes.
Donna Spiegler, the communications manager at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, said weather during the past few car shows has been a bit patchy. The weather held up Sunday, though, and she expected the sunshine to draw a crowd of nearly 8,000.
Some people have been coming to the car show for years, like Ron Howard of Akron, who was there displaying his 1984 Dodge Rampage that he’s owned since it was brand new.
Although he just started bringing the car to the show in 2011, Howard’s wife, Edna Howard, said he’s been bringing her to admire the cars every Father’s Day for years.
“He enjoys that people appreciate [his car],” Edna Howard said. “That means more to him than anything.”
For others, the show was a first-time spectacle.
“I’ve been wanting to come here for over 20 years,” said Dean Murad of Cleveland. He never had the time to attend in the past, but he “finally made it” after his son, Joey Murad, invited him.
Murad spent the day admiring the “beautiful weather and beautiful cars” with his son and girlfriend, Michelle Mullen of Cleveland, especially eyeballing a 1928 Cadillac.
“The cars are all gorgeous in their own right, but that one blew me away,” Murad said.
The show featured an “Inner Circle” of nine cars built between 1946 and 1948 that formed a ring right outside the estate’s 64,500-square-foot brick Manor House. These select cars were Full Classic automobiles, a standard recognized by the Classic Car Club of America.
Also featured were family vehicles like campers and microcars, tiny cars built in Europe after World War II as the continent pieced itself back together despite a shortage of resources.
The Ohio Region Classic Car Club of America was there throughout the day judging the condition of the cars and awarding trophies to vehicles in the different classes. The organization also allowed kids to partake during its youth judging portion.
Zach Harmon, 11, of Uniontown was excited to get the experience of judging a car based on its condition.
“I want to restore cars when I’m older,” he said.
Spectators could also listen to live bands play, watch artists paint pictures of cars and take tours of the estate’s manor and gardens. There was also a play area for the kids, though many enjoyed admiring the cars themselves.
Howard Thompson of North Canton watched kids crawl inside his vehicle all day, a wooden camper he and his wife, Terri Thompson, built themselves. Howard built the body while his wife took care of the canvassing, modeling it after the Lampsteed Kampkar, a recreational vehicle body designed for the Model T that debuted around 1920.
“We built it once, we can build it again,” Thompson said as he watched kids go inside and get their pictures taken. “We enjoy it and use it more for camping than car shows. Everybody thinks it’s a lot of fun.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com.