BORDENTOWN – Lights were shining bright in downtown Bordentown as many people gathered along Farnsworth Avenue to see the 157 cars participating in the Street of Dreams Car Show.
The annual event, which is run by the Foundation for Bordentown Traditions, has been a staple in the Bordentown community since 2012.
And after a few years on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the car show was back bringing its “fun and excitement of years past” for the Bordentown community on June 18.
“It was fantastic,” said Bordentown City Commissioner Jim Lynch. “There was a big turnout of people. The weather was gorgeous. It was nice seeing all the kids dancing to music from the band. Everyone was very upbeat.”
Chris Nunn, president of Foundation for Bordentown Traditions, started running the car show a decade ago in his efforts to help Bordentown City and Bordentown Township bring back their annual Independence Day celebration.
Nunn, who grew up in Bordentown and still works in the area, wanted to help the community bring back the event after the celebration was cut due to budget cuts.
The “original appeal” of the Independence Day celebration was something that Nunn remembers being very important to the community growing up and he wanted to help bring that back for the present and future generations.
Nunn has used the Street of Dreams Car Show as an event to raise funds to help the Bordentown community continue its Independence Day extravaganza with the help of resident Jeffrey Goldman and his foundation’s officers/trustees including Katy McGowan, who serves as vice president.
The nonprofit organization also runs the Bordentown Turkey Trot in November as an event to raise money for the Independence Day celebration and also the Christmas Tree lighting in downtown Bordentown.
“None of this could be done without Chris (Nunn) and The Foundation of Bordentown Traditions,” said Lynch. “He and his team have really stepped up over the years and that’s how all of this was reborn.”
The Street of Dreams Car Show included live music, food vendors and a beer garden and received support from many local sponsors including the Downtown Bordentown Association, Nunn said.
To enter the show, people had to pay a $15 registration fee and their cars had to be at least 25 years old or older.
A panel of judges and public votes awarded over 50 trophies.
One of the awards given out was the Foundation’s Choice Award, which was given to Vince Maciborka for his black 1959 Continental Mark IV Corvette.
“The car show was successful,” Nunn said. “We had a lot of car owners from all over enter their car into the show. It was definitely great to have it back for the city.”
Lynch, who has helped Nunn put the car show together since the beginning, feels that not only does the event help the community raise funds for its Independence Celebration Day, but “it also brings out more people to experience what the downtown area has to offer in terms of restaurants and local retail shops.”
He added it has brought a smile to his face to see his hometown community get back to normalcy since the pandemic.
“I’m a people person,” Lynch said. “I like seeing people happy and all the restaurants doing well. To be a part of all of that makes me happy. I’m looking forward to our Independence Day celebrations. It’s going to be great, and the fireworks are always the best.”