If you are a regular reader, thank you! I enjoy sharing stories about special cars and their special owners. The subject this month is the hundreds of unique cars and thousands of enthusiastic people that invade our city once a year for the DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON CLASSIC CAR SHOW!
Celebrating its fifth installment, the exhibition has doubled in size each year, with more than 5000 visitors in 2025. The car count is also exploding, with 240 examples scheduled for this year’s show. A wide array of makes, models, original, restored, authentic, customized … beautiful examples of one of the most important inventions in history … cars of all descriptions from 1900 to 1979.
In 2021, Maggie Campbell, CEO & President of the DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, wanted to create a multi-faceted, family-friendly event that would bring people back together after the solitude we all experienced during COVID. The RAMBLIN’ ROAD MUSIC FESTIVAL featured an art exhibit, live music for all tastes, street food, and a car show. Arlington is a car-centered city thanks to the historic Bankhead Highway, the enduring legacy of city leader Tom Vandergriff and our largest employer, General Motors.
The Festival accomplished Maggie’s goals … it brought people out in droves.
The car-show segment was by far the most popular attraction and became the single focus going forward after the DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON CLASSIC CAR SHOW debuted in 2021.
Maggie and her dedicated team have a mission … to promote downtown Arlington. The association is certainly doing that in many ways. The CLASSIC CAR SHOW is rapidly becoming a regional event; participants come from far and wide. The judging, the awards, the overall presentation … All aspects of the show are under continuous improvement. And now “Maggie and company” are promoting the entire city.
My wife, Joy, and I, along with our two children, came to Arlington in 1988. Nearly four decades have flown by since! The city is now at least three times larger… we used to wonder why they even built I-20 … there was nothing there. Today there is plenty there, especially cars!
It is amazing that cars … something that is so common and utilitarian … continue to stir something in people that makes them adore, restore, collect, and exhibit these machines. I believe it is all about freedom. Freedom of movement and expression. Access to that freedom came in adolescence. The formula for nostalgia.
To be able to go anywhere, anytime has been a possibility for only a second of time on the human clock. And in this country, like no other, we have the greatest cars and most freedom of any people on earth.
Serious stuff? Not really, it’s FUN … it’s our city celebrating 150 years … It’s SHOWTIME! So, don’t miss out! Join the fun at the DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON CLASSIC CAR SHOW, Saturday, September 26th, 9am to 3pm, Vandergriff Town Center, 200 N. Mesquite St. See cars that stirred your soul in high school … cars you have always dreamed of. Meet the special people who own them and enjoy sharing their personal stories. Vote for your favorite. Watch the awards ceremony, with special guest MC Caroline Vandegriff, and see the proud trophy winners living their dream. It’s SHOWTIME! … and it’s FREE! Now that’s serious!
