HARTFORD VILLAGE — Car enthusiasts are in for a treat this weekend.
The annual Carz Car Show & Swap will take place from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Saturday at Connecticut Valley Auto Auctions, 1567 Route 14, in Hartford Village. The rain date is Sunday. It costs $15 to enter vehicles and $3 for spectators. From 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday the Claremont Senior Center will host its annual car show at the center located on 136 Maple Ave. Admission is $5-$10 and children under 12 get in for free.
“Most everybody at the car show is like talking to a family member,” said Belinda Butterfield, secretary of the Carz Car Club. “Our cars range from old race cars to antiques. It’s a wide variety of our club members. Some of them have more than one.”
This will be the show’s eighth year. Last year’s show drew 137 vehicles and more than 500 spectators.
Proceeds go toward scholarships for graduating seniors at the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center who are pursuing automotive studies. Prizes are awarded include top 10 vehicles, five specialty vehicles and people’s choice award, which young children are delighted to vote in.
“Nine times out of 10, they’re either going to pick a really bright and shiny car, or a truck or jeep, because the little kids relate to monster trucks,” Butterfield said.
Butterfield and her husband, Richie, who is the club president and a mechanic, show a 1932 Hudson Coupe and 1969 Chevy Nova. When their children were younger, they started going to car shows because of the family-friendly nature of the events.
“It was something we could do on the weekends that was inexpensive and we just all had a good time,” Butterfield said.
Tuner cars have grown in popularity — especially among younger people — over the years at the car show. A tuner car, Butterfield explained, is an everyday vehicle such as a Mazda or Subaru that has been souped up.
“My husband explains to people that when we were growing up it’s the kind of cars we drove,” Butterfield said. “When we were in high school most kids had Chevettes and Pintos, which would have been a tuner back in those days if they called them that.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
