On the sunniest day of an otherwise rainy Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of people made it out to view the variety of automobiles on display at the annual Northport Cars in the Park event at Haserot Park.
Darin Irvine, son of the late George Irvine who founded and ran the car show for many years, said it’s always a pleasant surprise to see how many people turn out, both spectators and car owners alike. On Saturday afternoon, Irvine said there were about 172 automobiles in the park.
“It’s just been awesome, we’ve got so many spectators here, the weather turned out great and we’re obviously in one of the most beautiful places on Lake Michigan,” Irvine said. “We’re very fortunate that this time of year has been very kind to us in recent years. When the show started back in the 1990s, I think the first seven out of the first 10 years, it rained.”
Ed Dolan of Northport was one of the 172 participants. Dolan entered his classic 1964 MG Midget into show for the fifth time since he and his wife, Kitty, moved to the area 10 years ago. As the only owners of the car, Dolan said he and Kitty bought it new when they were just seniors in college. From the 1960s onwards, they’ve been driving to Northport to visit family in the beloved car.
“When it was new, it was actually our only car. Then after graduate school, I got a job at Dartmouth, and we drove it up there, and the first year it was pretty clear that we needed a different car,” Dolan recalled. “There’s such a variety of cars here and being my age and my interest in cars dates back to the 1950s, and I particularly like the hot rods. I remember the kids in high school had these — they’re fun to look at.”
Skip Hujsak, a member of the Twin Bay British Car Club, brought his 1957 Austin-Healey to the show, winning the award for best sports car. He also first acquired the bright yellow colored car when he was in his youth at just 16-years-old. It stayed in storage for about 30 years until it was totally destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017. Luckily, Hujsak cashed in on his retirement Roth IRA, using the money to get it restored through Hagerty Insurance.
“There’s like three yellow ones (Austin-Healeys) in the United States that I know about,” Hujsak said. “That’s what I like about this show, it has the real antiques, it has the muscle cars, it’s got the restored, American cars and hot rods, and just everything.”
Irvine also introduced state representative John Roth (104th district) at the event, who announced the passing of House Bill 4183, a law that Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently signed on April 2 that will allow owners of classic/historic automobiles to drive their “exhibition vehicles” from Memorial Day weekend through Labor day.
The top 10 winners of the 2024 Cars in the Park awards were: Ray Hale’s 1961 Corvette, Paul Duesing’s 1976 Scout, Michael Chetcuti and Kyle Evans’ 1966 Lincoln, Bob Benjay’s 1963 LeMans, Clark Southwell’s 1951 Isetta, Roy Ellenwood’s 1951 Chevrolet, Robert Diloreto’s 1934 Ford, Jeff Cole’s 1969 Camaro, Vern Bauer’s 1966 Chevrolet, and Keith Rhodes’ 1959 Ford. The best in class winners were: People’s Choice, Pete Leabo, 1941 Ford Pick-up. Best Pre-War Classic, Jack Messer, 1930 Ford Model A. Best Classic, Doug Platte, 1960 Chevrolet Impala. Best Modern Classic, Kevin Long, 1995 Ford F350. Best Corvette, Steven King, 1963 Corvette. Best Sports Car, Skip Hujsak, 1957 Austin Healey. Best Modified, Joel Wiggins, 1966 VW Beatle. The Founder’s Award, Keith Rhodes, 1955 Chevrolet Nomad.
