CHESAPEAKE CITY — With a grand total of 650 vehicles showing out, the Chesapeake City Lions Club’s 13th annual car show fundraiser on Saturday August 24 was its biggest yet.
Chesapeake City was overflowing with colorful, uniquely crafted vintage cars, with modern sports cars and hipster vans sprinkled in between. Lively music, handcrafted beverages, funnel cakes, and occasional exhaust filled the air as the best of the best lined up around Pell Gardens to receive their award.
The club offers a total of 76 awards during the show, including “Top 40”, “Ladies Choice”, “Chairman’s Choice”, and new this year, “On the Spot”. Thanks to local business sponsors like JoJo’s Diner, there were 34 “On the Spot” awards.
Art Wilson was one of those last minute lucky car owners. However, at first glance you might just notice the massive 110-pound shark strapped to the roof of his infamous “Shark Mobile.” The 1970 Volkswagen dune buggy is equipped with beer kegs and fishing lines that drew the judges’ attention. Along with an “On the Spot” award, the car was also recognized for the “Ladies Choice” award.
Bill Norris won a “Top 40” award for his bright red 1957 Ford Fairlane, which still has its original paint on it. Norris has been coming to the car show since it started and enters a different car each year, choosing from among his six Fords and two Chevrolets.
“This is one of the best events in Chesapeake City. It’s great for the restaurants, businesses, and the town. There’s something for everybody,” said Lions Club member and car show judge Donna Shelton.
After hosting the first car show 13 years ago and feeling overwhelmed, Frank Hill, who was the mayor of Chesapeake City at the time, came to longtime Lions Club member Bob Kidner wondering if the club would be interested in taking on the car show. Kidner gladly accepted and has been the chairman of the event ever since.
To give attendees who aren’t showing a vehicle something to participate in as well, the club offers a 50/50 raffle where one winner takes it all. This year, it totaled to a nearly $4,000 reward.
“It’s a lot of fun, and the cars are beautiful and the money we get from it we can give back. That’s the most wonderful thing in the world,” said 10-year CCLC member Cathy Sawdon.
CCLC, along with all the Lions Clubs in Cecil County, work with Johns Hopkins to facilitate vision screening in grade schools throughout the area to help address and fix vision problems in young children.
“That is so rewarding,” said Kidner.
The local club also supports Lions Club International, which is in 75 countries across the world. A few years ago, when Kidner was district governor of the club, a hurricane flooded places along the shore like Smith Island, so he reached out to International and received a $10,000 check to help people by the water clean up their homes.
“International does a great job of supporting disasters all over the world,” said Kidner.
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