Karing for Kelly taps Western students to help organize annual car show on Main Street
Danbury got a nostalgic taste of its auto-racing history on Sunday, Sept. 27, as hundreds of people filled Main Street in support of Karing for Kelly’s annual car show. This year’s beneficiary of the fundraiser was Joe Archiere Jr., the sixth person in the world to be diagnosed with autoimmune cerebellitis.
The show boasted 300 cars, motorcycles and trucks, a dozen vendors, and numerous charity organizations. Main Street was blocked off from West to Wooster Street for five hours during the event.
George Korres, owner of Nico’s Pizza, started hosting car shows eight years ago to raise funds to help one child from the children’s hospital each year. Korres tapped Lew Lombardi, owner of Ultimate Restoration Auto Center, to help advertise and organize the annual event.
The show included raffle prizes, and a competition with a panel of nine judges. Trophies were given to the top three winners of 21 classes of vehicles. 192 owners participated in the competition including residents from multiple states such as Maine, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The best of show winner was given to the Pennsylvania owner of a black '57 Chevy.
Lombardi says he plans to host a bigger and better show each year, aspiring to involve Western students with future events.
“The car show is not only beneficial to the donees, but also to the local economy,” Lombardi said. “When you have a car show and nobody complains, you know you did a good job.”
