DOYLESTOWN, PA — The 17th Annual Doylestown At Dusk Car Show steers into town on Sunday, July 19, with what organizers are calling a "spectacular showcase of automotive excellence."
With a forecast of rain on Saturday afternoon and evening, organizers on Thursday decided to move the show to its rain date of Sunday.
The free event, scheduled from 5 to 10 p.m., promises to be bigger and better than ever, with just over 500 show cars, trucks, and motorcycles representing a century's worth of automotive history.
Organizers have expanded the footprint of this year's show to include Main Street from Court Street to Oakland, and East State Street from Main to Pine, including the County Theatre and Siren Records.
While the show's footprint will be expanding, the number of cars will remain capped at just over 500," said show chairperson Rick Millham. "One of the things we noticed was that for a couple of hours, it's really packed on State and Court, and it's really hard to see cars. So we took a look at what we could do to disperse the crowd a little bit. With the added streets, we'll just be spreading out the cars a little more."
Organized by the Doylestown Rotary Club, the event draws between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors, making it one of the largest public events in Doylestown and in Bucks County.
(Jeff Werner/Patch)
A new addition to the show grounds will be two billboard trucks, which will be advertising the event's major sponsors and the evening's schedule of entertainment.
"The show offers a unique opportunity to experience more than 100 years of automotive progress," said Millham. "From classic and collectible cars to exotic vehicles, there’s something for every car enthusiast."
This year's show will include everything from late-model exotic cars to American muscle cars, pristine antique automobiles, motorcycles, and trucks.
"There are no guidelines as to what can be put in the show, so we can have everything from an early Model T all the way up to a car somebody just bought last week," said Millham. "We've had hearses with coffins in the back. We've had the Vacation movie car and the Ghostbusters. We've had all kinds of different stuff. It's been pretty cool."
Another cool thing about the show is that the vehicles are not grouped by makes, models, or years. They are parked in the street in the order they arrive at the show.
"You never know what you're going to see as you're walking down the street," said Millham. "It's like a hunt. You have to go all over the show grounds. You have to cover every square inch because you don't want to miss something," he said. "That's what makes this a really cool show. You just don't know what you're going to see next."
(Jeff Werner/Patch)
(Jeff Werner/Patch)
Millham said another thing he likes about the show is that it lends itself to the sharing of stories and information. For me, if I see a Firebird, I want to talk with that owner," he said. "I want to know all there is to know about that car. And then I'm going to share my story about when I was a kid, how I loved that car. That's the experience we want to share with this show - connecting people, sharing stories about the cars."
In addition to the vehicles, Millham said visitors will enjoy a family atmosphere with live entertainment, delicious food from local restaurants, activities for the kids, and a variety of vendors. Bands and entertainers will be performing throughout the downtown area.
The show will open at the main stage at the Clinton Street parking lot at 4:45 p.m. with the presentation of the colors by a local color guard and singing of the National Anthem.
Free entertainment will continue throughout the evening with six different musical acts, including Springbrooke and Wineskin performing on the main stage, and Uncle Bob's Band at the Hamilton lot.
Other performers entertaining at the show include Doylestown's School of Rock at the top of Court and Main.
New additions this year include Procedural Safeguards, a party band from the Intermediate Unit that will be performing in front of Siren Records, and Tiny Couch Doylestown, featuring Forester Gray and Alright Junior at Starbucks.
All side streets intersecting with State and West Court will be barricaded to prevent access.
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