‘I See Art’: Hundreds Pull Classic Cars onto Town Hall Lawn

Hundreds of classic cars were parked on the Town Hall lawn. | Brendan Cassidy

Swampscott resident Doug Dubin approached town officials 15 years ago with the idea to host a car show on the Town Hall Lawn.

Dubin originally planned for 25 or so vehicles to park on the lawn. It ended up being 60.

A decade and a half later, hundreds of classic cars made their way to Town Hall for the fifteenth rendition of the event. The entirety of the lawn and Linscott Park was filled with cars of all shapes, colors and ages as visitors made their way around taking a look at each and every one.

“It has exploded,” said Dubin of the annual event. He brought three of his own cars to the show.

Dubin believes the popularity of the Swampscott Car Show has to do with the picturesque backdrop of the ocean, as well as the ongoing Swampscott Farmer’s Market. He said that many “car guys” who frequent a lot of similar events enjoy bringing family members to Swampscott’s show.

Some cars were from as old as the 1930s. | Brendan Cassidy

“Everyone just knows about it by now,” said Dubin, who is an active member and former president of Swampscott’s Rotary Club. “I get calls from all of my buddies asking when the show is every year. Everyone just loves this venue.”

Dubin said he and others involved with the hobby of collecting vintage cars enjoy putting work into certain vehicles and fixing them up. He added that the hobby always brings a sense of nostalgia.

“I look at this stuff and I see art,” said Dubin. “We love and appreciate what it takes to put a car together. Some of us like to build our own stuff and others will pay someone else to do it.”

Dubin said a classic car show always takes people back to a simpler time.

“We have people here in their 90s, and we have kids that are coming here,” said Dubin. “We want everyone to enjoy the cars from the 1930s all the way to the brand new BMWs. There is a whole circus of different types of cars.”

Cars weren’t the only vehicles that were driven to the center of town for the event. There were also large military trucks and even a model of a nuclear submarine that sank off the coast of New England in 1963.