When the Kiwanis Club of Port Townsend presents its annual Classic Car Show Aug. 19, it will mark not only the event’s 28th anniversary, but also the club’s 66th anniversary.

For Jim Franklin, who helped organize the car show from 2003 to 2010, and returned in 2015 to help bring back some old favorites, the event affords a spirit of camaraderie and an excuse to indulge in his favorite hobby.

“You always get to meet so many neat people,” said Franklin, the proud owner of a 1951 Chevy. “Plus, if you’re a car nut like me, you get to see some really good cars.”

Franklin was no stranger to car shows prior to getting involved on the organizational side of the Kiwanis event back in 2003, and he remained active in contributing to other area car shows after officially stepping down from the Kiwanis event in 2010.

“The last show I took my Chevy to, there are all these folks that asked to sit in it, and I said, ‘Sure,’” Franklin said. “It just brought back such memories. We all think we’re young again. I’m 82 years old.”

Franklin admitted that he can’t fully explain his fascination with older cars, such as the 1980 and older models that are slated to be on display at Memorial Field from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

“You just get the right car, and the sound they make, it sounds so good, and they look so good,” Franklin said.

Twice in the history of the Kiwanis Classic Car Show, Franklin has been able to help celebrate some of the event’s most notable entrants, with “Best of the Best” reunions in 2009 and 2015.

“To qualify, they each had to win ‘Best of Show’ for one year,” Franklin said. “We got close to 20 guys out here that first time. All but one of the original folks was available, but we were still able to show his vehicle without him. And a few years after I’d left the show, they decided to do it again, we were able to add all the guys in the years since.”

One returning “Best of Show” winner had originally appeared with a surfboard mounted on his Ford woody, but the surfboard sadly did not survive to see the reunion.

“He wished he’d still had it, but he still really enjoyed himself,” Franklin said. “It was a great reunion.”

Even though he’s no longer working behind the scenes at the car show, Franklin looks forward to meeting folks there, with his Chevy on display, and he swears the published date is correct.

“One year, that got printed wrong, so folks showed up to Memorial Field on a Friday rather than a Saturday,” Franklin recalled, laughing. “I received the Golden Screw Award from the Kiwanis that year for it. You can bet they never got it wrong again!”

Cars are set to be staged on Washington Street, in front of Memorial Field, to speed up registration.

The details

When: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19

Where: Memorial Athletic Field in downtown Port Townsend

How much: Entry fee for cars in the show is $20; walk-in cost is $5.

Who: For car show details, contact Tommy Dodd at 916-626-2981 or

tommy.dodd@att.net.