Southold Troop 6 car show revs up for 35th year

Dating all the way back to 1990, the Southold Troop 6 car show has been a community staple. Each year, people come out to see unique cars and hot rods and show support for their local scouts.

The show is driving back into town for the 35th year, parking at Peconic Lane Community Center Saturday, Aug. 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s always a big hit, and this year, the same is expected.

“We usually do about 600, 700 spectators, and that doesn’t include the cars,” said former committee chair Dan Woods. “The cars come in, and some are pre-registered, but most wait until the weather, and then they just show up the day of. So we might have about 50 pre-registered, on average, and we get about 100 that turn out. Some just come in to make a donation.”

All different kinds of vehicles will be on display, including antiques, steam cars, classics, collector cars, street rods, custom cars and some trucks. The car show will give dash plaques to the first 200 cars that arrive, and 75 of the owners will receive a trophy for their car. Some of the scouts assists handing out the trophies to them. 

“They’re volunteers for us, and some of these guys have been doing it since day one,” Mr. Woods said of the judges. “But the scouts do also pick cars. We have Scouts’ Choice Awards. We do three of them, where the scouts go out and they pick the cars, and it’s just a way for them to interact with the owners. They really like that because they’ll start showing the cars, and some of the guys will get a ride in the field.”

There will also be a picnic area with food and refreshments. Throughout the entire day, the scouts are on hand, making sure everything is going smoothly. Current committee chair Jennie Boyle said the scouts get there at 7 a.m. and don’t leave until the last car leaves the lot and everything is cleaned up. There will also be a small number of vendors, all car-related, of course.

“There will be three or four, but we try to keep it to the car show,” said Ms. Boyle. “There’s a guy that does T-shirts, but it’s with cars. One of the guys is even there at six o’clock in the morning, ready to go.”

The car show acts as the only major fundraiser the troop holds throughout the year, helping to pay for trips and fees. The cost for each scout has increased over time so much that, even though the troop has gotten smaller with only 26 scouts, it adds up. Some weeklong trips could even get so expensive that it can cost up to $2,000 a scout. A decade ago, there were about 40 scouts. 

The day is all-hands-on-deck for the troop, but it’s worth it for them. The scouts and the scoutmasters work hard, but with support from the community, the car show can go on without a hitch.

“The community comes together for us, and we always put out a thank you,” said Mr. Woods. “The police department gives us the brownies, the traffic control is there, the highway department sets up the fence that kind of helps us corral and keep that organized. The town obviously donates, but because we’re a nonprofit, we pay for insurance, but they lease us the land.”

General admission is $10, and children under 12, with a parent, can get in for free. For those looking to show off their wheels, pre-registration is $25 and day-of is $30, and if the car is also for sale, it is another $30. It will also cost auto-related vendors $30, and all payments are cash only. For questions or to pre-register, contact [email protected].