Vintage vehicle enthusiasts from across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest will gather Saturday for the annual Philomath Classic Car Show, an opportunity to swap stories, renew friendships and enjoy the site’s signature grass setting.
The event will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Philomath City Park.
Greg Henderson, who has been involved with organizing the show for more than 12 years, credits the unique grass venue and community atmosphere for the event’s popularity.
“People love this car show for that reason,” Henderson said, noting that most car shows take place on hot pavement. “I know of one other one in the state that I’ve been to, which is north Albany at the golf course on the grass. But everything else is on pavement — hotter than heck.”
The show features 25 judged categories spanning decades of automotive history from modified and custom cars to stock vehicles, convertibles, imports, trucks and even electric vehicles. A number of categories are split up into a specific range of years.
Henderson plans to display his own 1925 Model T, a car his family purchased in 1952. After sitting in a barn in Seneca for years, Henderson acquired the vehicle from his aunt.
“It runs and drives and functions as it would have in 1925 and it is all original — nothing’s ever been done to it,” Henderson said. “I begged her and begged her for 10 years and she was ‘no, no, no.’ Finally she saw that nothing was going to happen with it and she goes, ‘Greg, you need to have that’ because she knew I would keep it forever.”
Vehicles from 2000 are now eligible for inclusion after reaching the 25-year threshold. As mentioned, there is even an electric vehicle category.
“They’re vintage now because they’re over 25 years old,” Henderson explained. “Actually, there are some that are super old because they made battery cars way back in the day but I mean, Priuses are allowed in the car show because it’s been 25 years.”
Beyond the judged categories, the show includes special awards such as “Best of Show” from the “Fab 5” selections, along with people’s choice, contestants’ choice, best paint, best engine, best interior, best pinstripes, and furthest driven.
For Henderson, the true appeal lies in the personal stories behind each vehicle rather than the competition itself.
“I think the neatest thing about cars is their story — where the car came from, who bought the car, what’s been done to the car over the years,” he said. “The most interesting part to me and most car guys is the story behind the car, not the story behind the person.”
The event serves for many as an annual reunion for car enthusiasts.
“Everybody’s seeing everybody that they haven’t seen since last year,” Henderson said. “Even people that live here … maybe they’ve seen each other at Bi-Mart once during the year but they see you at the car show and you stand there and talk for two hours. That’s the fun part to watch.”
The show draws a loyal following with approximately 30 of the same local vehicles returning each year, while others rotate through different regional shows. Henderson noted that while preregistration numbers were running slightly behind last year’s totals as of Tuesday, organizers aren’t concerned about attendance.
Food vendors will be on site, including 3 Potato More for breakfast and lunch, Grindz Food Truck offering Hawaiian cuisine, Kona Ice and Little Heifer Coffee Co. The Corvallis VFW also plans to participate.
The car show takes place between the Philomath Frolic and Rodeo’s morning parade and its afternoon festivities to provide visitors with a full day of community activities. Henderson sees the timing as perfect for families and car enthusiasts alike.
Many locals have favorite moments from the car show, which dates back to 1997 when it debuted as the Marys River Rod Run.
“One of my favorite memories is when we honored Rod Holland a couple of years ago,” Henderson recalled, referring to the longtime announcer. “Rod had been involved in the car show for 15, 18 years and he passed away and we had a moment of silence. And then everybody revved their engines for him.”
The Philomath Classic Car Show is free for the public to attend. Car owners can find information about participating and entry forms through the organization’s website. Same-day registrations are accepted beginning at 7 a.m.
