By Paula Scott

The 55th annual Festival of Wheels will be showcased on Bluffton’s Main Street this upcoming Friday, June 16. Coordinator Dan Groman notes that last year the Bluffton Lions Club show was literally 2 spaces from full capacity, so in 2023 the event will extend onto Elm St and along Main to Jefferson.

Main St. will close at 1:00 p.m.; registration is from 2:00-5:00 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine.

Judging of cars begins at 5:00 p.m. with trophies for the Top 25 and special awards presented at 7:30 p.m. Judges will rate entries individually, then scores will be tallied by computer. The cruise down S. Main St. begins at 8:00 p.m.

Vendors will have food and drink, including Bubba C’s barbecue, which will be located next to Town Hall.

Participants can register at the show. Advance registration ended on May 31. Groman expects more tractors than in the past, as well as a variety of antique and classic cars, trucks, fire engines and motorcycles.

This is officially the show’s 55th year, but Bluffton has a history of car shows that extends earlier than that. At one time, Bluffton car shows extended over two and half days. In 1967 Pioneer Auto Club and Contemporary Vehicle Association combined to host a national event in Bluffton. Groman remembers a woman who brought her 1941 Chevy from Sacramento, California.

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