Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival Set for June 16
By Robin Vinci at June 10, 2012 | 6:00 pm | Print
For the 20th year you can celebrate Father’s Day weekend in style at the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival on Saturday, June 16.
The event, a charity to benefit children and families, features Grand Marshals Wayne Carini of the TV show “Chasing Classic Cars” and his dad Bob Carini.
“It started with just a few cars around the circle,” said Mark Johnson, vice president of Klingberg Family Center. “When we were doing our first show, Lois Blomstrand of the New Britain Industrial Museum, asked me if we were going to have a Corbin here. I asked what a Corbin was and it is the car made in New Britain.”
Johnson found someone with a Corbin who brought it to the show. This put Klingberg on a path to featuring Connecticut made cars.
The second year of the event five of the six Corbin cars in the world were on display at the event. That gave Klingberg the reputation of showing off old brass cars.
Another change developed one year following a rain storm. A sponsorship program came about to help the show and this year there are 92 business sponsors. TD Bank is the largest sponsor.
“We raise money for our programs now,” Johnson said.
Admission to the car show is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors 65 and older and children under 12 are free.
One of the unique features is the Concours D’Elegance. Those are high-end rare very old cars. These cars are rarely seen and Klingberg is one of only two places in the state these cars are shown.
Cars come from as far as California and Arizona.
Wayne Carini and is dad are returning for the second year. “Chasing Classic Cars” did an episode last year on Klinberg’s Car Show and many new people have shown interest in the festival.
“We saw at other shows there were bored children and spouses that wanted to go home, so we knew we had to do something for the whole family,” said Johnson. “We created a kids area with all kinds of kids activities. We added dancing and music so you can sit all day and watch people do vintage dancing. We have street entertainers and cars. People come with their whole family.”
Food this year is being made by the Kiwanis Club of Berlin. They will offer hamburgers, hot dogs and spiral french fries. There will also be vegetable and chicken wraps as well as kid’s meals made by volunteers. Ice cream and Avery’s Soda will also be available.
There will be 33 trophies given out and over 400 cars will be on display.
Some interesting cars this year include a 1915 World War I ambulance that is a Model T Ford, a 1905 one cylinder Cadillac and a 1904 Holsman Model 3 known as a Piano Box.
The show is at the Klingberg Family Center, 370 Linwood St., but all spectator parking is at New Britain Rock Cats Stadium, 230 Karbonic Way.
The show is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information visit www.klingbergautoshow.org.
