CARP – It wasn’t just the beautiful cars that showed up and shined bright last Saturday (July 13), the sun was there too.

It was the end of an era as MacLaren’s Landing’s Glen Byrne hosted the 15th and final Carp Show ‘n Shine car show.

“That we’re doing anyway,” Byrne told West Carleton Online on a beautiful Saturday morning. “There will probably be someone that takes over. I’ve already heard from a few people interested in running the show.”

And why not? More than 145 vehicles filled the Carp Agricultural Society’s fairgrounds for the show – each and everyone cleaned and polished to a nearly blinding shine.

“It’s all weather,” he said. “It there’s a cloud in the sky in the morning, no one shows up.”

Byrne, who was a Carp Fair president in 2005 had two good reasons for starting the show a decade-and-a-half ago.

“I have my own car,” he said, a 1965 Beaumont. “Every president brings something new to the fair.”

Byrne bought his classic automobile in 1999, and decided he wanted somewhere local to show it off.

“It’s a nice little show,” Byrne said, pointing out some of the larger car shows can have 500 to 600 classic automobiles in it. “The cars started coming in at a quarter to eight in the morning. A lot of guys like their special spots.”

Every year the Carp Show ‘n Shine gets its contingent or regulars as well as a fair number of new entries and new amazing vehicles.

Not only is the car show an opportunity for loving owners to show off their pride and joy to the public, it’s an opportunity to raise money for worthy causes. Byrne says the show has donated more than $50,000 to various charities over the years.

“We’ve donated to prostate cancer research and our locals,” Byrne said. “Lately we’ve been making donations to tornado relief, the Royal Canadian Legion. We’ll do it again this year.”

This year, the Best in Show award went to Dan Dinelle and his 1959 Chevy truck.