Classic Car Show Coming to Gorgas Park

Car lovers, hear this: This Saturday at Gorgas Park, East River Bank and the Roxborough Ridge Runners are hosting their ninth annual Rockin' The Ridge Car Show. The show, which promises to feature over 150 classic cars, as well as a 50/50 raffle, activities for the kids, and gifts for mom (providing mom really likes cars), will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

During the show, prizes will be given to the top cars in various categories. All proceeds will go to local charities.

According to Ridge Runners event coordinator John Davis, Rockin' the Ridge was born, appositely enough, in a couple of old cars.

"We had two guys, Stevie Gray and Ed Petka--they were going in opposite directions on Ridge Avenue in their old cars one day-- and they passed each other and stopped," explained Davis. "They said, 'Hell, we need to talk. Why don't we put a car show together?' And that was it."

The nascent Ridge Runners started meeting at Ivy Ridge shopping center on Thursday nights--"We were really well received because we actually brought them some business," joked Davis--and held their first car show later that year. Two years after that they were invited to put it on at Gorgas Park and haven't left.

The show features a wide variety of cars from across the Delaware Valley.

"We have everything from A to Z," said Davis. "We have very, very old cars--Model Ts. Model As, Old Coupes. We have street rides, custom built. We have tricked-out, fully chromed engines that you can eat off of."

"We've got some really nice pieces that are gonna be there."

The Ridge Runners maintain a 250 strong mailing list from which they solicit entries for the show. While many of the Ridge Runners bring their own classic cars, they don't enter them for prizes.

Davis is a lifelong car lover and a self-described "Corvette guy." The car he won't be entering is a 1961 Corvette--midnight blue with a white inset.

"I've had it for 25 years," he said. "My daughter was one and a half when I got it and she's now been a school teacher for four years. I was pushing her in a carriage when I saw the car. Someone was selling it so they could make a down payment on a house."

He isn't sure if his 'Vette will make it to Gorgas though this year.

"I've got a lot of stuff to haul up, so I might just take my Blazer."

He promises he won't be entering it.