Members of the Draggin' Wagons Car Club will present their annual fall car, truck and bike show on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Honeybrook Gardens, 3940 Horseshoe Pike (Route 322), Honey Brook. Owners of all makes and models of classic, antique and custom vehicles, including street rods, muscle cars, antique cars, motorcycles and trucks, are invited to participate.

At the upcoming event, trophy winners will be selected in nontraditional classes such as Chopped and Dropped, Cool Convertible, Cool Commercial, Cool Custom, Great Graphics, Street Sleeper, Hottest Hot Rod, Cool Coupe, Memory Lane, Wild Card and Class Act. Candy Diehm will present the Draggin' Wagons Club President's Choice award.

Those who choose to display their vehicles at the upcoming show will be asked to make a registration donation. Registration will take place on the day of the show. There will be no admission fee for spectators, but the club asks that all guests bring nonperishable food items for the Honey Brook Food Pantry (HBFP).

Event organizers are hoping to attract at least 100 cars. "The last couple of shows have been in the high 80s. We are getting close to 100 (vehicles)," said club member Ray Marvin, adding, "When the participants are leaving, they will get a bag of chips and a drink. It's our way of saying thanks."

Food and ice cream will be offered for sale throughout the day, and a DJ will play oldies music. There will also be a gift basket auction. "We have 16 to 18 baskets," said Marvin, noting that baskets generally include a car wash bucket, a flower arrangement and a basket filled with chocolate.

Membership forms and packets of information about the club will be available at the car show for prospective members.

According to a history of the club provided by Frank Hess, treasurer, the club was originally called the Draggin' Wagons Hot Rod Club. It was formed in 1957 by a group of young men and women from Honey Brook and surrounding towns. Walter "Packy" Deck was the president, and members included Dottie Deck, Jim Fagan, Bob Filmore, Bev Kemper, Lyn Kemper, Mabel Delp Reese, Allen Sampson and Paul Weaver.  

The original Draggin' Wagons Hot Rod Club held its own public dances at the Honey Brook Fire Company hall with live bands such as Jammie Brown, Speedy Boyer and the Rocketones, Butch Mohl and the Galaxies and others.

In 2008, the Draggin' Wagons Car Club was reorganized and renamed by a group of the original members and many new car enthusiasts.

The car club holds two annual shows - one in the spring and another in the fall. This year marks the third time the club is holding the fall event at Honeybrook Gardens, which was formerly the Honey Brook Elementary School. Past car shows were held at Kemper Equipment in Honey Brook.

The club has more than 60 members. Club meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Honey Brook Lions Club, with the exception of December, when the club holds its annual holiday dinner. At the March meeting, the club members nominate and vote on the nonprofit organizations that they will support in the coming year.

During the Christmas holiday season, the club "adopts" several families in the area; the family names are provided by Steeple to People Ministries. The club purchases toys, clothing and gift cards and provides a holiday dinner to each of the families. 

"We help around 15 children (representing) three to five families. We get stuff for the kids and the parents and all the fixings of a turkey dinner. All of that is delivered," Marvin said, adding that the club also makes donations to the HBFP.

Marvin, who owns several classic cars, including a 1954 Ford convertible and a 1931 Ford street rod, describes the club as social and charitable. For example, the group regularly takes part in outings such as dinners at local eateries. "(The club) was founded by car enthusiasts, but there is a real focus on the social side," said Marvin. "We have members that don't even have (classic) cars. It's not a requirement. It's people hanging out and having fun, and we give several thousand dollars a year to charities (in Chester, Berks and Lancaster counties)."

In the event of rain, the car show will be held on Monday, Sept. 30, beginning at 5 p.m. Cancellation information will be posted on the club's Facebook page on the morning of Sept. 28.

For more information about the club and the car show, visit http://www.facebook.com/DragginWagonsCarClub. Those with questions may email dragginwagonscc@gmail.com.