Car Show draws admirers to Old Town
Proud vehicle owners soaked up praise and admiring gazes from an estimated 3,000 people Aug. 21 at the 11th annual Good
Times Car Show in Old Colorado City.
![]() A total of 312 cars and trucks were on display, according to event spokesperson Tony DiCenso. One of the owners, Joe Sopko of Pueblo, showed off a customized 1936 two-door Plymouth sedan that he had originally found several years ago in a field - so broken and rusted that the owner was going to let him have it for free (Sopko insisted on paying him $50). After six years, $26,000 in costs and work that amounted to “grueling torture,” as Sopko put it, he has a car that's old only in styling. The car has air conditioning, electric windows, intermittent windshield wipers and can go 140 mph, he said. The show, in which sponsoring car clubs invited car and truck owners of all years and types, raised money for the fifth straight year for Canine Companions for Independence, a national non-profit that provides trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to people with disabilities. “When we close out the books on this year's show, we'll probably donate another $5,000” to the organization, DiCenso said in an e-mail the next day. Over a third of the entries came in on the day of the show, but the total number fell just short of last year's record of 333 vehicles. “I thought we had a pretty good show,” he said. “I was hoping that we would surpass last year's total, but Saturday's weather [which included an afternoon thunderstorm] must have turned some people away. As for attendance, I'm estimating about 3,000 visitors.” Colorado Avenue was closed off between 24th and 27th streets for the event. The sponsoring car clubs presented awards to vehicle owners in different categories afterward in Bancroft Park. During the six-hour show, Old Colorado City merchants sponsored a scavenger hunt for the participants, and one merchant, Silver Moon Presents, brought in an Indian dance group - the Denver All Nations Singers and Dancers. Westside Pioneer article |