Keyport’s annual car show featured various automobiles

With their hoods lifted and windows down, more than 30 automobile owners showed off their vehicles at Keyport’s fifth annual Car Show.

Seeing cars built in the 1920s to the present day, more than 90 locals got to view and vote for their top three favorite vehicles on display, on July 27, along West Front Street between Broad Street and Beers Street in Keyport.

The event was presented by the Keyport Bayfront Business Cooperative and sponsored by Straub Buick GMC and BCB Bank, according to the Keyport Bayfront Business Cooperative’s Executive Director Stuart Koperweis.

“KBBC was created in 2012 after the Keyport Business Alliance was disbanded. The KBBC is a private not for profit 501(c)(3), designated as the District Management Corporation of the Keyport Special Improvement District. We work in partnership with the borough and the other civic organizations in borough. Our stakeholders are the business and property owners in the district,” Koperweis said in a previous article.

“[The car show] is part of activities to awaken people to Keyport’s many facets of retail, food and fun,” Koperweis said.

After collecting all of the votes, 74 participants voted for their three favorite cars for this year’s car show.

The first place winner was Richard Amusco with his 1923 Detroit Electric 97B, Robert Fisch with his 1972 Oldsmoblie 442 won second place, and R. Powers won third place with his 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, according to Koperweis.

Music was performed by “Special Request” as part of the Keyport Thursday Summer Concert Series, at the borough’s Minipark.

While viewing and taking photos of the numerous cars, locals also got to talk to the car owners to learned more about their automobiles.

Holmdel resident Jeff Romano displayed his blue 1962 Pontiac. He said that he has owned his car for 20 years and that this year was his first time participating in the Keyport annual car show.

“I’m a Holmdel resident and Holmdel is the next town over and I heard about the car show and I frequent many car shows so I figured I give it a shot come out meet some nice people…and show my car,” Romano said.

Aberdeen resident Ann Walling said that this year was the first time she has ever entered her gold 1969 Stingray Corvette car in to a car show and that she has owned it for 35 years.

“…My brother lives in Keyport and he actually won this two years in a row for the last two years but he did not enter this year…It’s the first time I ever entered this car in anything its just that I love the car and I just said just for fun let me enter it,” Walling said. “It’s been fun a lot of people like it because it’s all original and it hasn’t been changed and it’s a survivor, apparently people like the old cars that have not been changed, so I’m happy.”

For more information about on future borough event visit www.visitkeyport.org/events/.

Contact Vashti Haris at [email protected].