Downtown Evanston will launch a new event this summer to showcase pre-2000 classic cars — with a side of coffee.
Evanston Cars & Coffee will be held in the parking lot behind the Evanston Public Library on June 22, July 13 and August 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Downtown Evanston Executive Director Andy Vick said he expects 50 to 60 cars each day, and cars from the 1920s to the 1970s have already registered for the event.
Attendees can walk through the display of cars and ultimately cast a vote for the “Best in Show.” Each day, the owner of the winning car will receive a $100 Evanston E-Gift Card, which can be used at about 60 different businesses throughout Evanston, Vick said.
Attendees will also be able to purchase coffee from Outside Coffee, a bicycle-powered coffee cart run by Evanston resident Courtney Reed Tanner.
“Hopefully people will not only grab a cup of coffee, but maybe they’ll go and have brunch or lunch somewhere in downtown Evanston,” Vick said. “Again, like most of our programming, it’s really all about finding creative ways to bring people to downtown Evanston and give them a fun experience but also expose them to the businesses and restaurants that are in downtown.”
The idea for the event was initially introduced to Downtown Evanston by program advisors Neil Gambow and Peter Kaplan, two classic car owners in the Evanston area.
Gambow was previously part of the team that planned the Monday Night Cruise-In car shows at Westfield Old Orchard, a series of shows that featured hundreds of vintage, classic, modified and exotic cars and motorcycles.
“I knew, over the last couple of years, that if there was ever a chance to do it in Evanston, we ought to take a shot at it,” Gambow said. “I’ve always had the idea that it’s a good thing to do.”
He plans on having his 1965 Chevrolet Corvair convertible at all three days of the event. For Gambow, the best part of car shows is talking with families and letting people sit in his car.
He also appreciates the fact that each car owner has their own story to share. Because of this, car shows are an attraction for everyone, including families and kids.
“Classic cars are basically a culture,” Gambow said. “The fun part is, for the most part, when you’re at these shows and you’re an owner, a driver, we don’t care that you’re a lawyer. We don’t care that you’re a doctor. We don’t care that you’re a carpenter. We care that you have a car, and you have a story to go with it.”
Jody Reeme also plans on bringing a car to the event. She and her husband own 13 classic cars, including a 1923 Ford Model T Depot Hack, a 1932 Detroit Electric, a 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe and a 1924 Dodge Brothers Roadster. Reeme drove from Oregon to Illinois in 2018 to raise awareness for the RPM Foundation. The foundation uses hands-on training and mentorship to preserve the art of vehicle restoration and preservation.
She said that at car shows, people aren’t usually familiar with her cars, and she has been introduced to some of the nicest people through the car community.
“They’re like magnets for people,” she said. “It’s just fun talking to people.”
Reeme and her husband usually research their cars and create posters for the shows. At Evanston Cars & Coffee, each registered car will have its own placard, according to Gambow.
Vick and Gambow both said that they hope the event catches on and is able to grow in the future. Car shows have been successful in other communities, and there are many classic car owners within driving distance of Evanston, Gambow added.
“What really would make it a success for us is to expose new audiences to downtown Evanston, hopefully people who haven’t been here before and get them to see that downtown Evanston’s a great place to visit and to shop and to go out for meals,” Vick said. “This is kind of a hook to get people to downtown Evanston and hopefully build a relationship with downtown Evanston for the long term.”
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