Beautiful weather greeted festival-goers at the Northampton Area School District Student Council car show, held July 27 at Bicentennial Park in East Allen Township. Attendees enjoyed oldies music, vendor tents, food, refreshments as well as vehicles shined up and cared for to perfection by their owners. Cars from 2020 all the way back to 1920 were on view.

The eighth annual car show could only be described as a roaring engine of success. A large crowd of attendees and folks were proud of their well-maintained, shiny classic cars.

Co-leaders of the event, Roy and Sue Maranki, were excited about the high number of vehicles and the attendance. Roy noted there were 254 vehicles entered into the judging contest. Twenty-five trophies were awarded. Proceeds from the car show benefited NASD Student Council.

Jean Doll entered a well-maintained 1977 Ford Maverick into the car show. She said she was excited for the energy of attendees and delighted to present her shiny, bright red vehicle to attendees. In 1977, the cost to purchase the car was around $2,000. The current value for a Maverick in excellent shape can be as high as $30,000.

Tom Sedor, of Northampton, brought his 1937 bright red Ford Coupe to the judging contest. The retired Bethlehem Steel plant worker and steelworkers local union leader was proud of his antique car entry. The Ford Coupe cost about $500 to buy in 1937. The value for a 1937 Ford Coupe in excellent condition today can exceed $30,000.

There were more than just shiny cars at the car show; vintage motorcycles and even tractors were on display as well.

A large basket raffle was also held.

Vendor setups contributed to the festival-like show. Coplay’s Keith Sodl had a display, showing off his talent for oil painting and assorted complex crafts he makes. Visit Sodl’s Facebook page, Zula’s Treasures, for information or how to purchase items for sale.

There were food trucks selling funnel cakes and various foods cooked by Grumpy’s BBQ Roadhouse. Visit grumpysbbq.net for more information about the foods they offer or how to have them cater your next event.

There were vendors selling handmade wood products, political hats, jewelry, antiques and car collectibles, like old license plates, car stickers and more.

A notable vehicle at the car show featured two Northampton Area High School and Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School students. Spencer Parker and Braiden Binder transformed a 1972 Fiat 124 Spider sports car from gas powered to electric powered. They worked with a BAVTS teacher and a team to make the car’s transformation, and the Spider was on display at the event.

Parker and BAVTS Supervisor of Career and Technical Education Mike Galler were on hand to talk about the car’s transformation. Galler spoke with pride about the successes of BAVTS assisting students to identify a career and accrue the knowledge and work skills necessary for future employment success.

The vintage cars at the show, nearly all of which run on gasoline, are without computer chips and current technology. These old vehicles are a step back in time when all components were essentially mechanical. As new cars continue to advance with computer chip technology toward electric power, these old cars may be more cherished and garner increased public interest in the coming years.

The car show was a great place to spend a few hours immersed in yesterday’s auto technology.