Angels bring car show to Summerton for second year in a row

Posted

This is the seventh year that the Community Angels Fund will raise money for the community through its annual Spring Fling Car Show, and it's the second time the show will be in downtown Summerton.

This year's show will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The fee for cars to enter is $20, and admission is free and open to the public. Registration for vehicles will begin at 10 a.m.

“The town of Summerton invited us to have the show on Main Street this year to promote the town and the businesses there,” said fund president Angela Reyes in 2015.

Sumter resident George Chavis said last year he loves being a part of the show each year as he stood proudly by is diamond-blue 1969 Volkswagen standard.

“I restored it about eight years ago,” he said. “They just have so many beautiful cars out here. We love being a part of it and seeing everyone and sharing stories about our restorations.”

Sumter resident Donald Matthews was standing nearby with his 2008 Mustang Bullitt, modeled after a car from the 1968 Steve McQueen flick “Bullit.”

“It’s the neatest car chase movie that had ever been released to that point,” Matthews said. “This is a more modern version of that car. It’s a 40th anniversary model.”

Matthews said only 5,200 of the vehicles were made.

“Fifty went to Japan, because there’s a serious Mustang club there,” Matthews noted. “The rest were kept for domestic market.

Matthews’ Bullit is No. 3,403.

“The numbered editions make it even more desirable,” Matthews said. “But I will never sell it.”

He said another unique aspect of the vehicle is that it lacks the iconic Mustang pony emblem.

“It’s nowhere on the car,” he said. “That’s what says Mustang, and it’s kind of stealthy that it doesn’t have it.”

Matthews said he doesn’t just like seeing the vehicles, but noticing what they represent.

“Car shows are just so American,” he said. “You can see the evolution at a car show from the older luxury liners to the more compact rides. Cars went from being highly stylized to being more efficient. It shows America across different eras.”

Jerry Ham agreed.

“I just like antique cars,” he said while eying a red and white 1955 Chevrolet. “They bring back very fond memories.”

Ham said he thought it was good the event was brought to Summerton.

“I think it’s a good thing for this small town,” he said. “The car show is fun, but it’s also informative and educational.”

Funds raised through the show – which also features prize drawings, vendors and a Chinese auction – are used to help Clarendon County families through the Community Angels Fund.

Angela said in a file story that the fund is “a nonprofit group for the greater good of Manning and its surrounding areas.”

She added that the fund has been used to help with utility bills and has given folks gas money to get to job interviews or jobs. The fund also adopts families during the holidays, providing dinner and presents for children.

To help, or for more information, call Angela at (803) 979-4950 or email info@communityangelsfund.org.