Castle Car Show

October 5, 2024 — Castle Car Show at Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, New Hampshire is a show I always look forward to. It's held in one of the most scenic spots of any New Hampshire car show, the fields just below Lucknow Castle, a stately mansion, one of the state's major tourist attractions. It always hosts a wide variety of vehicle classes, foreign and domestic.

I have wished many times that they'd bring the show back to July as it was before 2020, the year of the pandemic. At that time, the nearby stables were open, and riders on horseback and horses pulling wagons were seen most of the day on a road bordering the car show field, a nice additional photo op. On the other hand, it can get very hot in July in the Ossipee Mountains.

Anyway, it looks like it's going to be permanently in October, the stables are closed and the horses gone, but it's cooler and colorful autumn leaves provide a nice backdrop for car photos. You can see my coverage of the year's show at:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/castle2024/

Carriagetown Car Show

September 28, 2024 —The Carriagetown Car Show in Amesbury, Massachusetts, enjoyed a warm, partly cloudy day for this year's show. The entire downtown area of the photogenic city is turned over to show cars as they line streets and fill a park, all on a day when many excellent restaurants are open. No truck food at this show.

Amesbury has a hilly downtown where in some places stairways take you up and down the different levels. The Powwow River tumbles down in a long waterfall through the downtown center, and it's bordered by walking paths and observation areas. You might just find you're taking more photos of landmarks than cars.

Click or touch the following link to view my photos of this season's show, and if you have time, find past Carriagetown shows on my site to see more of a unique New England car show.

 https://www.linwoodstreet.com/carriagetown2024/

Stratham Hill Car and Bike Show

September 22, 2024 — The Stratham Hill Car and Bike Show in Stratham, New Hampshire, presented by Boy Scout Troop 185, seemed to be in serious decline since COVID in 2020. Attendance was down, selection of vehicles was skimpy, and I was fearful of its ability to continue. But I decided to remain loyal to one of my favorite New Hampshire car shows and have returned each year. I'm happy to report this year it seemed to be fully recovered from its malaise. The field was filled nearly to capacity with a variety of  vehicles, a live band was on the stage, and a good crowd of enthusiastic spectators showed up.

Boy Scout Troop 185 manages many aspects of the show, directing show car parking, serving lunch, and handing out trophies at the end of the show. It was good to see everything back to normal. You can view my coverage at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/stratham24/

Rye Lions Car Show

September 15, 2024 — The Rye Lions Car Show in Rye, New Hampshire, on its 41st anniversary, hosted its usual collection of very high-quality cars, thanks in part to contributions of a few cars by restorers Bayberry Vintage Autos of Hampton, NH, and Competition Motors of Portsmouth, NH. The show also draws many classic Packards, Cadillacs and Lincolns, all beautifully restored to original condition.

You'll also find an assortment of customs, a section devoted to imports, and another to trucks. Take a look at one of New Hampshire's finest antique car shows at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/rye24/

Kiwanis Antique and Classic Car Show

September 7, 2024 — The 37th annual Kiwanis Club Antique and Classic Car Show was held once again at NHTI — Concord's Community College. It was my 12th visit since 2010 to this show. Like other shows, this one has been a little slow to fully recover from the pandemic year of 2020. But this year saw definite improvement over last, featuring good turnout and variety of vehicles, many I hadn't seen before. The NHTI campus is an excellent venue for a car show, and the college is generous to offer their facilities year after year.

The show offers a better than average food selection. An ample number of picnic benches are available so everyone may sit down for lunch, a luxury many shows fall short of. A quiet, tree-lined pond at the edge of the show field offers respite. It's a day well-spent.

You can see my photographic coverage of the show at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/kiwanis24/

Antique Truck and Car Show

September 2, 2024 — The MacDonald Memorial Antique Truck and Car Show, held every Labor Day on Dow Common in Atkinson, New Hampshire, enjoyed perfect weather for this year's show. It's one of the shows I consider a must-see, and it's a major disappointment when it's rained out but I can't remember when that last happened.

The show always features a large contingent of Model A Fords, many returning year after year. But there's a good mix of other vehicle types, both cars and trucks, classics and customs. You have to do a little exploring to be sure you're not missing anything. Vehicles are spread out not just on Dow Common but the nearby fire station property, Atkinson Historical Society, Kimball Library and along Academy Avenue.

You can view my coverage at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/atkinson24/

Cruising Downtown

August 31, 2024 — Cruising Downtown in Manchester, New Hampshire, always held on Saturday of Labor Day weekend, may be the largest show in New Hampshire and among the largest in New England. I've been there when more than 1,000 show cars were counted. About six blocks of Manchester's main drag is turned over to the show, along with several side streets and a park. The show has been made even bigger since they turned over the Notre Dame Bridge to NH Muscle Cars members to display their cars.

Several bands take turns entertaining, food and refreshments from trucks are everywhere, and full service restaurants are open, some with outdoor dining. It's a long show, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you need that much time to see all of it.

A highlight of the show for the past few years has been a jaws of life demonstration as members of the Manchester Fire Department literally tear a car apart. It's not announced and easy to miss, so if you go, be at the corner of Elm and Bridge at noon.

My coverage of a small portion of the sprawling show, including both videos and photos of the jaws of life demo, can be seen at this link:

https://www.linwoodstreet.com/cruising2024/