Community turns out in droves for 11th annual Main Street Car Show
The weather was unseasonably warm, but the rides were even hotter.
On Saturday, Oct. 26, thousands of automotive enthusiasts of all ages descended on downtown Taylor for the 11th Annual Main Street Car show to feast their eyes on classic vehicles, several Ford Model T’s, a Lamborghini Huracán and more.
They also came to enjoy live music, cold beer, watch dance performances and shop dozens of local vendors.
“The first car arrived at 1:40 a.m. just to get a great spot,” said District 4 Councilman Robert Garcia, who has volunteered for the event since 2014. “By 6:30 a.m., all of Main Street was full.”
Organizer Ruby Fisher, Taylor Main Street’s specialevents coordinator, said this year’s event featured about 800 cars, and it drew thousands of people from all over the state, country — and even world.
“A really cool thing about the car show is that, based on cellphone tracking data, it brings about 17,000 unique visits to downtown Taylor,” she said.
“It basically doubles the population of town,” Fisher added.
A new feature this year included an Aztec dance performance at noon at Fourth and Main streets featuring youth from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.
Other entertainment included the Taylor High School Hi-Steppers and local bands such as The Clutch Kings, Chubby Knuckle Choir, Gabor Nicholson, Ready Betty and Roy Heinrich and the Pick Up Trucks on the stage at Heritage Square.
Under the pavilion, Frank Plummer V of Thrall, 5, had a chance to hand-crank the engine of a 100-year-old Model T Ford.
“It’s amazing,” said his dad, Frank Plummer IV. “We didn’t know about the car show. We came for the (Heritage Square) Farmer’s Market. But he loves monster trucks, and this is the first time he has seen something this old.”
Julius Hebb, 5, admired a 1960s-era Chevrolet Corvette convertible alongside dad Curtis Hebb, a mechanic.
“I like the engine,” Julius said. “It goes very fast.”
Garcia, who has attended car shows in many far-flung locales, said his favorite part of the Main Street Car Show is seeing the community of car enthusiasts it brings to Taylor.
“People look forward to this car show,” Garcia said.
“They think about it all year long … For historic Taylor to be known as one of the largest car shows in Central Texas, and everyone looks forward to it every year, that’s what I enjoy. All these people get to come and see all that Taylor has to offer.”
