Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival Scheduled for June 15
By David Huck | Correspondent at June 10, 2024 | 7:00 pm | Print
The Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival, the annual showcase of hundreds of classic, antique, and rare cars, takes place on Saturday, June 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This year marks the 110th anniversary of the founding of the Klingberg Family Centers and the short-lived Corbin Motor Vehicle Corporation. Mark Johnson, vice President of Klingberg Family Centers, says they are hoping to have several of the New Britain-made cars on display during the show. Other Connecticut-produced cars, such as those made by Columbia and Pope-Harford are also expected to be shown at the event that typically draws around 5,000 people.
“This will be our 21st year,” Johnson said. “It started out as a small car show but it’s been growing each year. It was just a car show at the beginning, but we’ve created activities for children and other things for other members of families, like vintage dancing with old-time music.”
At last year’s event, there were close to 400 cars on display. Awards were given out to vehicles like a 1934 Packard Super Eight, a 1916 Ford Model T World War II ambulance, a 1954 Austin-Healy 100, and a 1972 Ford Mustang. The Corbin Motor Vehicle Company produced about 800 cars between 1903 and 1912. Only about six remain and several years ago the car show had five on display.
The car show will also feature a Concours d’Elegance, an invitation-only exhibit featuring rare and distinct cars. This year’s entries will feature Connecticut and Massachusetts-made cars, pre-war motorcycles, and 20 brass-era cars that date from 1901 to 1914.
“We usually get about 450 antique cars, but the Concours d’Elegance is a special show within the show,” Johnson said. “It’s for 75 cars that are rare, high end, like million dollar cars, one of a kind.”
The highlight will be a 1932 Duesenberg, a luxurious car made during the Great Depression and now worth in excess of $1 million. There will also be a section featuring super cars, like two Ferraris from the 1990s, an Aston Martin, and a 2008, 500-horsepowered Corvette. There will be car enthusiasts bringing vehicles from as far away as California and Arizona.
Wayne Carini, the owner of F40 Motorsports in Portland and the host of “Chasing Classic Cars,” and his father, Bob Carini, will serve as Grand Marshals for the vintage car festival. On Carini’s cable television show, the car enthusiast searches the country for rare and exotic cars, from “barn fresh” Rolls Royce’s to Italian-made supercars.
Parking for the event is free and located at Willow Brook Park. A shuttle will take visitors to the show. There will also be kids activities, food, and Avery’s soda for purchase. General admission is $10; seniors aged 65 and up are $8; children 12 and younger are free.
All proceeds from the car show benefit Klingberg Family Centers. The organization provides services for abuse, trauma, severe family problems, and behavioral health issues.
“Our main mission is to make sure that children are raised in healthy families,” Johnson said. “That’s been our mission since 1903. From the very beginning, our founder John Klingberg crated an orphanage because there were so many children on the streets. He knew they needed a big family and he created that for them.”
“Today we have about 20 different programs with the goal of making sure kids have a good family,” Johnson added. “That ranges from outpatient counseling to intensive family therapy in homes, special education schooling, and adoption and foster care. So if a child doesn’t have a family, we’ll find a family for them.”
Over the last two decades, the auto show has raised millions of dollars. This year, there are 97 businesses sponsoring the event.
“When you consider the economy and the tough times for businesses, to have 97 businesses get on board … We have just been really blessed with local and small and large businesses,” Johnson said.
The show used to be held in the fall until weather delayed it to the spring a few years ago. But organizers say the change fits nicely with Father’s Day weekend.
“If there is one common problem that most of our families have, it’s a dad that’s not involved in the home, or a father not being a dad to his kids,” Johnson said. “We are trying to do everything that we can to raise up dads and to be involved in their kid’s lives. We encourage people to bring dads and dads bring their kids.”
As a way to say “thank you” to dads on Father’s Day, which falls a day after the car show, Klingberg is inviting family members to make a donation of $100 or more in honor of a living or deceased loved one. Donors will be recognized in the car show’s program book, a personalized poster from the auto show, and name recognition on www.klinbergautoshow.org Contributions can be made by clicking on the “Donate Now” button on the car show’s website or sending a check to: A Father’s Legacy, Klingberg Family Centers, 370 Linwood St., New Britain, CT, 06052.
By David Huck
Correspondent
The Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival, the annual showcase of hundreds of classic, antique, and rare cars, takes place on Saturday, June 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This year marks the 110th anniversary of the founding of the Klingberg Family Centers and the short-lived Corbin Motor Vehicle Corporation. Mark Johnson, vice President of Klingberg Family Centers, says they are hoping to have several of the New Britain-made cars on display during the show. Other Connecticut-produced cars, such as those made by Columbia and Pope-Harford are also expected to be shown at the event that typically draws around 5,000 people.
“This will be our 21st year,” Johnson said. “It started out as a small car show but it’s been growing each year. It was just a car show at the beginning, but we’ve created activities for children and other things for other members of families, like vintage dancing with old-time music.”
At last year’s event, there were close to 400 cars on display. Awards were given out to vehicles like a 1934 Packard Super Eight, a 1916 Ford Model T World War II ambulance, a 1954 Austin-Healy 100, and a 1972 Ford Mustang. The Corbin Motor Vehicle Company produced about 800 cars between 1903 and 1912. Only about six remain and several years ago the car show had five on display.
The car show will also feature a Concours d’Elegance, an invitation-only exhibit featuring rare and distinct cars. This year’s entries will feature Connecticut and Massachusetts-made cars, pre-war motorcycles, and 20 brass-era cars that date from 1901 to 1914.
“We usually get about 450 antique cars, but the Concours d’Elegance is a special show within the show,” Johnson said. “It’s for 75 cars that are rare, high end, like million dollar cars, one of a kind.”
The highlight will be a 1932 Duesenberg, a luxurious car made during the Great Depression and now worth in excess of $1 million. There will also be a section featuring super cars, like two Ferraris from the 1990s, an Aston Martin, and a 2008, 500-horsepowered Corvette. There will be car enthusiasts bringing vehicles from as far away as California and Arizona.
Wayne Carini, the owner of F40 Motorsports in Portland and the host of “Chasing Classic Cars,” and his father, Bob Carini, will serve as Grand Marshals for the vintage car festival. On Carini’s cable television show, the car enthusiast searches the country for rare and exotic cars, from “barn fresh” Rolls Royce’s to Italian-made supercars.
Parking for the event is free and located at Willow Brook Park. A shuttle will take visitors to the show. There will also be kids activities, food, and Avery’s soda for purchase. General admission is $10; seniors aged 65 and up are $8; children 12 and younger are free.
All proceeds from the car show benefit Klingberg Family Centers. The organization provides services for abuse, trauma, severe family problems, and behavioral health issues.
“Our main mission is to make sure that children are raised in healthy families,” Johnson said. “That’s been our mission since 1903. From the very beginning, our founder John Klingberg crated an orphanage because there were so many children on the streets. He knew they needed a big family and he created that for them.”
“Today we have about 20 different programs with the goal of making sure kids have a good family,” Johnson added. “That ranges from outpatient counseling to intensive family therapy in homes, special education schooling, and adoption and foster care. So if a child doesn’t have a family, we’ll find a family for them.”
Over the last two decades, the auto show has raised millions of dollars. This year, there are 97 businesses sponsoring the event.
“When you consider the economy and the tough times for businesses, to have 97 businesses get on board … We have just been really blessed with local and small and large businesses,” Johnson said.
The show used to be held in the fall until weather delayed it to the spring a few years ago. But organizers say the change fits nicely with Father’s Day weekend.
“If there is one common problem that most of our families have, it’s a dad that’s not involved in the home, or a father not being a dad to his kids,” Johnson said. “We are trying to do everything that we can to raise up dads and to be involved in their kid’s lives. We encourage people to bring dads and dads bring their kids.”
As a way to say “thank you” to dads on Father’s Day, which falls a day after the car show, Klingberg is inviting family members to make a donation of $100 or more in honor of a living or deceased loved one. Donors will be recognized in the car show’s program book, a personalized poster from the auto show, and name recognition on www.klinbergautoshow.org Contributions can be made by clicking on the “Donate Now” button on the car show’s website or sending a check to: A Father’s Legacy, Klingberg Family Centers, 370 Linwood St., New Britain, CT, 06052.
