Rust Rods Car Show

September 19, 2026 — One of my favorite car shows was the one called Carriagetown in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Originally called Mayor Gray's Carriagetown when Amesbury Mayor Ken Gray, a car guy like us, happily turned over his city to a car show once a year. The show filled nearly every inch of the picturesque downtown area with the Powwow River tumbling down through the city center, wooden stairways to take you up and down through the hilly area, century-old brick buildings, quaint shops, a carriage museum and fine restaurants. The city itself provided as many photo ops as the cars. 

When a new mayor was elected, we were encouraged when the car shows continued. But it was to be short-lived. Within three years the city chose not to continue to host the show. That was devastating news for car aficionados at a time when many car shows were in decline or being discontinued.

Enter Rust Rods Car Show and Munters. They came to the rescue of Carriagetown with a show as big as the original on the sprawling property of Munters, an energy-efficient and climate control business with a long history in Amesbury. They did a great job of putting an excellent show together in a short time. We're grateful, but it's a parking lot show without the charm of Amesbury's central downtown. But I wish them success. I sincerely hope they can keep it going.

But you can still make the short drive over to the downtown area after the show and dine at one of the fine restaurants, visit the carriage museum, or just walk around. I went to my favorite Amesbury lunch stop,  Flatbread, for a pizza. It was like old times.

Click or touch this link to check out this year's show at Munters:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/rustrods/