Organizer expects to have 25 to 30 vehicles on display.
By: Michelle McGuinness
Antique car owners in Cranbury and Central Jersey are gearing up for Sept. 8 when they’ll get a chance to show off their vehicles at the Cranbury Day antique car show.
Cranbury resident Mahlon Thompson, who has run the antique car show for nearly 30 years, is organizing the event again this year.
"In the beginning we just had a few cars, but as Cranbury Day has grown, it has grown also," he said.
This year, he said, he expects to have 25 to 30 vehicles on display.
Mr. Thompson is a former member of the Cranbury Business & Professional Association, which organizes Cranbury Day. He said the antique car show is only one element of the Cranbury Day celebration.
"It’s just one of the nice things that people are able to see the antique and classic cars that are here on display," Mr. Thompson said.
He said the antique car show has been running since Cranbury Day first started about 30 years ago. This time, he’s getting cars for display from Cranbury residents as well as the Central Jersey Antique Car Club.
"We want to display the cars and want people to see them and reminisce, ‘My father had one like that or my uncle had one like that.’ That’s the idea of it," Mr. Thompson said.
He said the cars will sit along Main Street from School Lane to Scott Avenue on both sides of the street. Passers-by will have the opportunity to get close enough to the vehicles to take a look at their interiors.
Mr. Thompson said young people as well as adults like to see the cars.
"They think, ‘Oh my gosh my grandfather had one like that. Can you imagine driving something like that?’" he said.
Mr. Thompson said the cars are mostly American-made and range from the ’40s and ’50s to vehicles made in the ’60s and ’70s.
Mr. Thompson said the cars will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., though he isn’t sure yet what specific cars will be on display.
"People can walk and browse and see the cars," he said. "It’ll be an exciting time."

