Classic car showcase at Burn the Point show

I'm a day late reporting this. I've got it on my calendar, so next year I can give everyone a more timely heads up.

From the Billing Gazettte: Classic car showcase at Burn the Point show

A rusted-over Ford Model T sat next to a gleaming, polished 1958 Chevrolet. A newer, souped-up Honda Civic stood out in stark contrast to the classic roadster to its right.

The Burn the Point car show, swap meet and car corral, held Saturday on the MetraPark Fairgrounds, had a little something for everybody.

The annual event featured between 200 and 300 cars on display, most of them of the classic variety, although there were a handful of newer models on hand, too.

Kenny Welsh, of Billings, brings his 8-year-old son Ryley and 4-year-old daughter Breckyn to the show each year.

“The quality of the cars is always great,” Welsh said. “But it’s so nice to get the kids out on a nice day too.”

While his dad kept an eye out for Volkswagen Beetles, like the 1960 convertible model the family owns, Ryley wasn’t looking for a specific car, although his favorites are the ones painted with flames on them.

“I like to go around and see if they have signs in front of what they looked like before” they were restored, he said.

Organizers expected as many as 6,000 people to wander the grounds on Saturday.

Marlene Spawn, of Billings, spent the day working at the registration booth, as she has for the last several years.

She said it’s a good way for car enthusiasts, families and the general public to get together.

“It’s just the fact that’s it a good family event,” she said. “People love to look at all the cool cars.”

And there were plenty of cool cars. Hoping to see a restored Dodge Charger? They had ‘em.

How about recreations of famous cars from television and film, such as Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine, The A-Team’s van, Herbie the Love Bug or the Batmobile? Too easy.

A little ways away, the swap meet featured folks selling parts of all kinds, from body panels to engine components.

Mike Harker, of Powell, Wyo., came to the show for the first time this year. He brought with him a sleek, shiny replica 1965 Shelby Cobra, modeled after a car in Carroll Shelby’s legendary Terlingua Racing Team.

“This is my first time here, but it’s incredible,” he said. “Just the turnout alone, but there’s so much variety with everything here. It’s just so much fun to talk with other car guys.”

All of the proceeds from the event, and Friday’s Burn the Point parade, go to the Chase Hawks Community Crisis Fund, which benefits families going through tragedies.