RIDE-CT – Classic Cars Celebrating Classic Cars in Connecticut
HARWINTON – Is there a saturation point for car shows in Connecticut?
It’s a question that I’ve been asking for several years as the number of shows across the state has continued to climb at a good clip. What prompts this examination were emails that arrived this morning. They requested that four more shows be listed in the website’s statewide 2023 Connecticut Car Show Calendar.
They were quickly included in the list and they brought the total to nearly 200 shows between late March and late October.
Who knows how many shows have been overlooked? And who knows how many will be added in the days and weeks to come?
The busiest day of the year (at present) is this Sunday, May 21. A total of 11 shows are scheduled from Litchfield to Stamford and Manchester to Bridgeport, although the forecast at the moment looks iffy. June 4 and Sept. 10 will also be busy with nine shows each.
RIDE-CT has already attended eight shows this spring from East Granby to West Haven and has penciled in three shows to possibly attend this weekend. There are only so many hours in the day and only so much money in the gas budget.
Why the growth in car shows, especially lately? It’s probably too easy to give a post-COVID-19 need to socialize as the reason. Part of it may be geezers having a last fling embracing the cars of their youth. They have the cash to indulge their automotive fantasies before it’s too late.
Another part may be younger folks making an effort to trick out their more recent models and wanting to show them off.
Whatever the reasons, there’s a glut of shows. Hey, the more the merrier. Anyone else have some ideas on why car shows have been so popular? And what’s the saturation point?
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(Editor’s note: Story was updated on May 20 following the discovery of another show on May 21.)
