By By DAN PARSONS, Staff Writer
While 30 contestants battled to cook the most savory pig along Stewart Parkway on Saturday, 60 classic and hot rod cars lined Main Street to show what makes them able to burn rubber.
The show, sponsored by Down East Rods and Classics car club, brought everything from completely rebuilt, 50-year-old Chevrolet Corvettes to souped-up trucks with immense tires and flashy paint jobs. The cars were judged Saturday afternoon in a number of categories with the top honors winning five-foot trophies for best car in show, best truck in show and best paint job. The cars are judged on cleanliness and the quality of work done to them, Tommy Respess, president of the car club, said Saturday.
W.F. Parrish, of Greenville, swept the show with his metallic-orange 1962 Chevy Nova that he rebuilt with his son.
But the car isn’t for driving, he said. Though it is certainly capable, Parrish said he trailers it to shows.
Randy Harper, of Snow Hill, won Best in Show Truck with his rebuilt, apple-red 1966 short bed Ford pickup.
Respass said the nostalgia many of the cars inspire is one of his favorite parts of the hobby.
Respass said he started out with a 1948 Ford that he restored. Since then he has added two Camaros to his collection. He had all three on display Saturday. The car club holds two or three similar shows every year, he said. Proceeds from raffles and entry fees the club uses to benefit the community, Respass said. The club awarded a $500 scholarship at the show — one of the charitable activities the car enthusiast group has a hand in.