Car show drives thousands to Mars
MARS — The already packed streets of Mars would see the crowd part every few minutes to make way for yet another souped-up vehicle pulling into its spot.
Saturday was the second Mars Rumble car show, which brought hundreds of vehicles into the borough for an event that resembled a street fair.
John Podolak, owner of After Hours Tattoo Studio and event organizer, said Saturday that the event surpassed his expectations.
“We are over our goal for cars,” he said. “Every vendor who said they were going to come is here, and we have people from all over.”
Mars Mayor Gregg Hartung estimated more than 2,000 people stopped in the borough to see cars ranging from custom to classic.“It was a nice sized crowd,” Hartung said. “People just had a fun time.”The first car show was held in 2019 and drew in hundreds of cars and even more people. The organizers also had an event in October 2020, but it was a smaller version.Podolak said the show this year had from 800 to 900 vehicles, surpassing even the first year.Eddie Crawford is a car enthusiast from East Brady who said he brings his vehicles to shows just about anywhere, whenever he can. He said he has been doing this for about 28 years.For him, car shows are often reunion spots for other enthusiast friends.“I have made a lot of friends at these over the years,” Crawford said. “You see a lot of them at all these.”Crawford said seeing different cars and the ways people have modified them is an aspect of car shows he can bond over with others. His vehicle, a black buggy that he completely reconstructed from the inside out, took him several hundred hours to create.
The hobby still remains enjoyable.“I bought it in Alabama years ago,” Crawford said. “I stripped everything off and rebuilt it. I just go in the garage, turn the radio on and tinker.”Similarly, the event was a driver for local businesses, many of which were open and even selling outside their store fronts. “They're ecstatic,” Podolak said.Pammie Erskine, owner of Mars Candy Land, said she enjoys the events hosted in downtown Mars, and there are a few each year.“We have a lot going on here in Mars,” Erskine said. “It's wonderful, awesome to see everyone.”
