They kicked cancer awareness into high gear.
Hot rod enthusiasts raised $1,600 for the American Cancer Society during the Rock ‘n’ Roll Block Party and Antique Car Show outside the St. Bernard Parish Hall in Bergen Beach on Sept. 24. The event drew a lot of dudes, which was pretty much the plan, according to organizer Joe Gillette, who said he wanted to get guys involved since most cancer fund-raisers attract women.
“The women always have such a strong voice and a lot of times men don’t and this was the outlet for them to do it,” he said. “These guys were coming out for their wives, mothers, and daughters.”
And the day took an interesting turn when a bunch of tux-clad men from a wedding party at the church next door couldn’t resist checking under the show’s proverbial hood and dropped by the show.
Local rock band BKSNY was keeping the block party revved up, but they down-shifted into some love tunes in honor of the marriage, Gillette said.
“We stopped the noise and had a live band play some falling-in-love songs, and the groom and his bridal party came out and were taking pictures by the antique cars,” he said. “All the guys in tuxedos were checking out the cars.”
Car owner Bart Monty took home the trophy for Best in Show for his red 1965 Mustang Fastback. But the best part was the money people raised for cancer research, said Evans Georgopulos, vice-president of the Antique Auto Association of Brooklyn.
“It was a nice turnout, and it was a nice event,” he said. “We raised money for cancer, that’s the most important thing.”
