Saratoga Automobile Museum hosts annual Spring Auto Show – Saratogian

The Saratoga Automobile Museum hosted their annual Spring Auto Show in Saratoga Spa State Park on May 11. (Emma Ralls – Medianews Group)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The Saratoga Spa State Park turned into a car lover’s paradise this past weekend as the Saratoga Automobile Museum hosted its annual Spring Auto Show.

Automobiles ranging in make and model were present for admires of all ages to take in and enjoy.

The event is one of the Saratoga Automobile Museum’s major fundraisers and is held on the second Saturday in May every year. Executive Director Megan Hennessey shared when the event started around 15 years ago, between 250 to 300 cars took part, but there were around 1,000 cars at this year’s event.

“It’s a fun, family-friendly community event,” Hennessey said. “Everybody enjoys the comradery and just has a good time. It gets car clubs together, it gets families and friends together and  it’s just all about community support.”

And the people who take part in the show agree that it’s something special. Charles Flinchbaugh, who brought his 1953 Clipper Deluxe Club Sedan to many car shows, shared the museum’s involvement in the event is one of the reasons he really enjoys taking part.

“It’s the museum,” Flinchbaugh said regarding what makes the event so fantastic. “It’s a great museum and they’ve started from scratch. They really have some great exhibits and they do a lot to really make this car show good.”

The sentiment of this car show being truly incredible is something shared by many people who take part. Ken Stefanik, who brought his 1955 Chevy Nomad, noted he tends to do 20 to 25 car shows a year, and this Spring Auto Show is one of his favorites.

“The number of cars here and the variety of cars,” Stefanik listed as some of the reasons this show is a favorite. “The way they run the show. It’s a judge show, which is nice, and there’s no favoritism on vehicles. It’s based on what the vehicle is, and that’s what I like.”

Stefanik was one of the select few to take home prizes at the Auto Show, winning “Best in Show” which is the top prize award. Other awards included but were not limited to, Judge’s Choice, Best Ferrari in honor of the current exhibit going on at the Automobile Museum, Best in Class electric vehicle and more.

The Spring Auto Show presents the public and those who bring their cars the opportunity to spend the afternoon enjoying a shared hobby. Those who attend get to look at and learn about old-school, modern and unique cars and interact with those as passionate as they are.

James McMullen brought his Zimmer Golden Spirit which he shares is made to order and that there are only two in the world — his being one of them. Because of the rarity of his car, he notes attending car shows is extra fun because he gets to tell people about his car.

“They like looking at my car because it is the only one like it here,“ McMullen said. “It’s really a show car, and you won’t find another one. You can see all the Corvette and other cars you see at every show, but this is the only one of these you’ll see and it’s mine.”

As well as vintage cars, the Spring Auto Show had many high-power super cars in attendance as well. Joe Pardum brought his 2015 Lamborghini Aventador to the show, sharing that this is his sixth Lamborghini and what he enjoys about the car is a good quality, sexy appeal and fighter jet look – calling it the “ultimate car.” He also shared why he liked taking part in car shows.

“It’s fun to get out and see the fine cars,” Pardum said. “These things are filled with nice people, and it’s a great place to just walk around and kill some time.”

Hennessey said she hopes that the event helps people not only become more familiar with the Saratoga Automobile Museum but that the event provides all those who came a fun experience they could share with such a passionate community as well as she hopes the Spring Auto Show fosters more involvement and makes more people want to stop in and visit the museum.

“Hopefully, this gets people into the museum again, builds awareness and continues to inspire people to be involved in the community,” Hennessey said. “The Park is a beautiful place to be located, and to have a car show, and we are just so thankful for the support we receive from everyone.”

For more information on the Saratoga Automobile Museum visit https://www.saratogaautomuseum.org