by

Elsie Walker

On September 6th, the 30th annual Memorial Motor Madness car show will be held from 9am – 3pm on the grounds of MARS Snacking, 800 High Street in Hackettstown.   Postponed from May, the car show is put on by Hackettstown Rotary as a fundraiser for its work in the community.  About 425 cars are expected for the show with judging in 21 classes plus the Ed Hagaman Memorial Trophy for People’s Choice.  Admission is $5 per person, except for children under 12 who can attend for free (when accompanied by an adult). The show also includes a 50-50, music, food vendors, and crafts and other vendors.  Coordinating the event is Secretary of Hackettstown Rotary, Jill DeMonti, with help from rotary members Jim Travis and Norman Worth.   Recently, DeMonti talked about the show.

DeMonti used the phrases “family friendly” and  “very patriotic” in describing the event and noted that “it falls in line very well with America’s 250th .”  Many spectators wear red, white, and blue. The Star-Spangled Banner is played at noon.  

About 5,000 people come to see the many cars on display.  This year, the vehicles run from “Vintage to 1940”  to modern day ones.  That includes antique trucks, classic cars, custom cars, muscle cars, and more.   As people enjoy looking at the vehicles, music will be provided by SC3 Entertainment. There will be a 50-50 for $5 a ticket. (The winner need not be present at the drawing.)  DeMonti noted that last year’s winner won $4,000. There will be a variety of food vendors and vendors selling crafts and other items and providing marketing materials. Rotary fliers note that no alcoholic beverages, no pets, no pop-up tents, no tobacco or vaping and no firearms are allowed on the grounds.

The show is sponsored by John Johnson Auto Group, Warren Community College, Edward Jones Financial Advisors, New Jersey Foot & Ankle Institute, MARS Snacking, and WRNJ Radio.

“The car show is our [Hackettstown Rotary] biggest fundraiser of the year.  We couldn’t do the work we do without it, ” said Demonti.

The funds raised by the show are used by the rotary all year long as they help a variety of organizations and causes in the community. The organizations and causes include The Joan Knechel Cancer Center at Hackettstown Medical Center, the Operation Chillout backpack project for homeless veterans, Alina Lodge, an addiction treatment center, ARC of Warren County and DASACC (Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Warren County).  Hackettstown Rotary has a connection to ARC and DASACC. Its current president, Annamarie Lalevee, is  the Chief Development and Communication Officer of ARC of Warren County, and Rotarian Dean Hickey is Associate Director of  DASACC.  In addition to the causes and organizations it helps, the show makes it possible for the rotary to be able to give three scholarships to Hackettstown High School students each year. 

The organizations and causes helped, thanks to the funds raised, highlight the importance of the show and why Demonti is “thankful and so grateful” to MARS Snacking. She noted that when the weather caused the unprecedented cancellation of the show in May, it was due to the flexibility of MARS Snacking, in providing the venue in September,  that the cancelation became only a postponement.  Memorial Motor Madness continues!

For more information about Hackettstown Rotary and its work, visit www.hackettstownrotary.org