Andy Glenn, a Springfield Township trustee for the last two decades, has his mom to thank for his involvement in the Wicked Wheels Car Fest.
His mother’s dream car was a bright red 1965 Mustang convertible with a 289 engine, and in 2014, his father bought it for her. Now, as he prepares to bring it to the fifth annual Wicked Wheels show where he also serves as a judge, his enthusiasm is contagious.
“I love old cars,” he said. “The old cars have a character to them that you just don’t find in things that are made today. They’re so easy to work on. They’re very simplistic. They don’t have the computers, and their designs are something you haven’t seen in a long time come out by auto manufacturers. They’re metal. They don’t have a lot of plastic parts in them. There’s just a lot that appeals about the older vehicles, especially with Gen Xers.”
On Aug. 7, Glenn and hundreds of other proud car owners will gather in Springfield’s Homecoming Park to display models ranging from the latest models in dealerships to perfectly-preserved pieces from the ‘60s to firetrucks and racecars.
While the event used to take place at Springfield High School, it is moving to the park to accommodate for its rapid growth. Last year, overflow vehicles had to start a mini-show at a Walmart parking lot across the street. Although the location is changing, the event’s ties to the school will remain.
“What I like about it is that they kept the traditions alive. Registration is very unique to what you will find at any other car fest,” Kristina White, the director of events operations for Springfield Township, said. “Students and boosters from the high school register you in place … All the money that is raised in the registration stays with the booster organization and stays with the school. Although it moved from the school district, the Springfield Township trustees still want to honor that relationship with the district.”
Tammy Bartlett, of the recently opened Millbury Classic Cars and Trucks Museum, teased her completely rebuilt Back to the Future replicas of a 1982 DeLorean and 1984 Marty McFly Toyota that she will be displaying at Wicked Wheels.
She originally got into car collecting through her husband. Now, more than twenty years later, the family, including her children, husband, and mother, all work to grow their car museum which features about 85 vehicles.
Despite this level of passion, this year’s Wicked Wheels show marks her first time partnering with an event to help promote it. Bartlett explained that Wicked Wheels means more to her than the average car show would.
“I went to Springfield,” she said. “I graduated from there a long time ago. It just so happened that my mom had worked at Springfield all of her life, too. So it was very important to be able to give back to the stomping grounds, go back to Springfield, hang out in that area, and promote something that we really love.”
For community partners like the White Family dealerships, the shows provide an opportunity to build their brands and develop greater interest in cars among the community. Each year, the event has attracted a larger crowd, as both a greater variety of cars and a growing reputation attract eager families.
Chris Gomez, general manager at Jim White Honda, explained that the dealership will be giving away a new electric scooter called a Motocompacto via a raffle as part of their efforts to attract younger audiences. However, kids usually do not require much prodding to get excited about the new cars.
“I think it’s a good thing to show the younger generations, the newer part of the technology, and we love it when they ask questions,” Gomez said. “We’ve even had a lot of young kids ask us about our profession. I think it’s just a good way to educate them about the automotive industry … A lot of these younger kids like to feel them and experience the new car feeling and new car smell.”
Although car shows have a certain appeal for an older demographic, namely those who can drive, Wicked Wheels brings in food trucks and live music to keep the event relatively casual and encourage youth engagement.
For both adults and kids, the community aspect is what makes the event special.
“You always meet new owners. It’s just a great group of people that’s into this,” Glenn said. “Being able to walk around and see other people’s vehicles, get ideas of what other people have done, talk about who they used for their paint, good or bad, network that way. That’s one of the best parts.”
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