Carol and Dennis Johansen strolled down rows of approximately 56 cars, all lined up at the sixth annual Knights of Columbus Car Show.
The two made the journey from Acton in pursuit of one thing: “We like classic cars, so we decided to come check it out,” said Carol.
Strolling down the lines of cars also served as a walk down memory lane.
Both Carol and Dennis gestured toward the classic models from the 1950s to the 1960s saying that those are what they grew up with.
Dennis was particularly elated to see a 1993 Honda Accord – one of the cars he had the pleasure to own.
Dennis has now passed down the car to his son-in-law, who is working on restoring it.
“We’ve been taking pictures of (the car), showing what he can do with that same car,” said Dennis.
The whole experience for them was met with a sense of nostalgia.
“We did the same thing back in the ’50s that they’re doing now,” said Dennis.
Despite the tradition of car shows dating back to at least the ’50s, Jay Fithian, a deputy grand knight of the Knights of Colombus, felt that they still manage to draw in a crowd – especially a younger one.
Fithian originated the first annual car show for the Knights of Columbus.
He had joined the Knights with his father as a way for his father to be around people his age. Fithian originally sat in the background, but the more time he spent with the Knights, the more he fell in love with it.
“I started appreciating that they were helping out everyone and they were doing charity stuff for the community, so I started getting more and more involved and I was just hooked,” said Fithian.
When it came time to brainstorm for a fundraiser idea, Fithian suggested, “’Let’s do a car show.’”
Fithian thought this idea would help bring a younger crowd for a new generation of the Knights.
“What we try to do is get them to volunteer and then once they volunteer they’re hooked, it’s fun,” said Fithian.
The proceeds from the car show will go toward the Knights of Colombus’ multiple community efforts such as work for St. Vincent DePaul, Coats for Kids and work for the SCV Pregnancy Center.
