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The Elizabethton Car Show’s season will come to an end Saturday. It has been a season filled with cars and camaraderie.

For many years, the Carter County Car Club has held its weekly cruise-ins on East Elk Avenue in downtown Elizabethton. It has become a summertime staple.

“Old cars” are always an attraction. They have a following.

Cars, in general, whether they are old or new is a passion among many, not a hobby.

The car shows are not just about cars getting together to show off what they have. That is the point of the car show but that isn’t the only thing that goes on at a car show. Most people don’t get into cars for car show trophies. For some, it’s the chance to show off their creativity and craftsmanship. Many restoration enthusiasts enjoy the thrill of their hunt, looking through old barns and garages for classics hiding in the rough. Some try to remind themselves of their youth, restoring a car from their teenage days. Some want to get a car back to the way they remember it as kids. It lets them feel young again behind the steering wheel.

What constitutes a classic car changes as the years go by. Some youthful enthusiasts are showing off cars built in the 1980s and early ’90s. It can’t all be about 1950s and 1960s models and the Beach Boys anymore. 

The car show is a time for the mature to reminisce while the youth catch glimpses of the world that was, through automobiles that remain like four-wheeled time capsules.

Many of these car show enthusiasts have spent countless hours and dollars on their vehicles, striving for eye-catching customization or factory perfection. The Saturday night car shows are celebrations of the times, memories, and an event that bring together people from not only Elizabethton, but throughout the area, including Western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia.

One of the best parts is seeing friends that car owners may not have seen since last year.

It’s a unique event set in a downtown full of old main street buildings that readily lend themselves to that trip down memory lane. The hoods will be up on many of the old cars, showing off the mechanical hardware that makes the car run. But, for many it is a time to get together and just talk “cars” and any other subject that may come up. It’s an event that brings the community together.

The weekly car shows draw hundreds to the downtown during the summer, and their economic and social benefits can’t be underestimated. In addition to cars, there is music, some good eats, and an opportunity to do some shopping. Many of the downtown businesses, including restaurants, remain open for the evening. It is a good way to draw people into downtown and explore all the unique businesses that Elizabethton has to offer.

Despite the recent flood, which has put a damper on many activities, the car show has thrived, and this year will have helped many through the Carter County Car Cub. But more importantly, it is the people who own the cars, and the people the cars attract to the downtown that make the shows successful each summer season. The car show is more than showy cars, it is the people the cars attract to the downtown that make the shows successful each summer season. It’s an opportunity to meet new people, make some new friends, and enjoy what Elizabethton has to offer.

Hopefully, the people and their cars will be back next season, but a lot will depend on the traffic pattern with the closure of the Broad Street Bridge. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Until next spring, here’s hoping our car show enthusiasts rest up and have a Happy Holiday!