The Biggest Show in Town

Since 2010, the Falls Village Car and Motorcycle Show, held the second Sunday in July, has become an institution.

Judy Jacobs of Jacob’s Garage, the sponsor, said there were 550 vehicles registered and probably another 30 unregistered at last year’s show.

Although the show technically doesn’t get started until 10 a.m., the vehicles start arriving much earlier, and by by 9:30 a.m. the village is packed with vehicles of all descriptions.

Some favorites from the last couple of years:

Jody Bronson’s 1958 Willys Jeep wagon (a precursor of the modern Jeep Wagoneer) accessorized with camping equipment, a telescoping fly rod and a 1950s Abercrombie & Fitch sporting catalog.

A 1958 Chevy Stylus Deluxe guarded by what appeared to be a dog skeleton.

Tom Stansfield of Goshen and his 1943 Ford Army jeep, with authentic accessories. The Jeep originally belonged to his father-in-law, and when they first hauled it out of the barn where it had been stored, it only took a few adjustments to get it running.

This was in the 1970s. Since then “we’ve hardly done anything to it,” he said.

A 1909 Cadillac, owned by Steve Ryder of Granby, Conn. He was showing a curious fellow the primer cups on the cylinders.

“What are these for, oil?” asked the man.

“No, gas,” said Ryder, looking pleased at the reaction.

He said the Cadillac is hard to crank over, especially when it’s cold. So a small amount of fuel poured directly into the cylinder gets things going.

Ryder was asked how the Cadillac drives.

“It’s a hoot.”

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 show.

Prior to that the event was a fundraiser for the Falls Village Fire Department.

In 2021 that changed, and the beneficiary is the Housatonic FFA chapter.

In 2021, the Car and Motorcycle Show was part of a larger weekend event, “Discover Falls Village,” with activities at the Hunt Library and the Center on Main.

Lime Rock Park helped with traffic control, and the FFA ran a shuttle bus to and from the downtown area and Housatonic Valley Regional High School, which was established as a satellite parking lot.

The Lakeville Journal has applied sophisticated crowd estimation techniques over the years, to determine the crowd size.

Controlling for variables such as weather and fears of infectious disease,  and applying a proprietary algorithm, the correct answer to the question “How many people come to the Falls Village Car and Motorcycle Show?” is:

“Lots.”