Vehicles lined up for viewing at the Wellington Family AutoFest.
Photo by Wellington Family AutoFest.
The Wellington Family AutoFest is revving back up Oct. 2 after a strong showing this summer. The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Village Park in Wellington.
The first such festival took place June 5. It drew enough participants for the Rotary Club of Wellington to up the ante this fall.
Now monthly, the auto showcase includes a judged competition with more than 20 trophies, plus an exhibit of first responder vehicles. Monthly proceeds benefit area nonprofit organizations. For Oct. 2, the beneficiary is Unified Dream, which assists vets in reconnecting within their home communities after their service.
“We had between 150 and 200 cars participating the first time,” says the festival’s committee chair, Walter Imperatore. “We were pretty happy with that turnout. Our goal is to make it family-friendly, and it was always our goal to make this a monthly event.”
June’s vehicles included an Indianapolis 500-style racing car, restored 20th century roadsters, and modern street autos with souped-up horsepower, tricked-out accessories and customized artisan paint jobs.
In addition to a parade of such cars Oct. 2, the AutoFest Village area will offer oldies music presented by VCMG Live, food trucks from Gourmet Truck Expo, a sea turtle adventure by the Cox Science Museum and a special presentation by Unified Dream.
“We will be there with an interactive disc golf exhibit, which was very successful in the June AutoFest,” says United Dream’s founder and CEO, Jacob Hampu, a Marine Corps veteran. “We appreciate the partnership with the Rotary Club in building awareness and providing personal as well as financial support to our members.”
Unified Dream’s disc golf presentations have proved popular enough that the organization is holding a tournament as a fundraiser Nov. 12 at Commons Park in Royal Palm Beach.
Imperatore says AutoFest will feature a different nonprofit group or cause each month. “We’re looking at several charitable organizations, most of them geared toward helping children, including through school supplies, uniforms and field trips.”
For Imperatore, a transplant from Long Island, New York, to Wellington three years ago, the Rotary Club and AutoFest have proved to be the perfect supplements for the semiretired commercial real estate agent.
“I was also a member of the Rotary Club up north,” he says, “and I wanted to stay active with that down here. As for AutoFest, it’s about having a car show where folks who aren’t necessarily car people can still walk around and have fun.”
“We call it a better connection than Wi-Fi,” Rotary Club President Tiffany Rodriguez says. “The AutoFest is a way for car enthusiasts, family, friends and neighbors to enjoy the outdoors on a Sunday morning.”
The Wellington Family AutoFest is at Village Park, 11700 Pierson Road. The remaining AutoFest dates are Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 in 2022 and Jan. 22, Feb. 12, March 12, April 2, May 7, June 11, July 9, Aug. 20, Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Dec. 3 in 2023.
The entry fee for the judged contest is $20. All other show vehicles are $10, and nonshow vehicles can participate in the VIP families and groups area for $10. Free parking is available, and the AutoFest can be accessed by golf carts under the new village regulations. For further information, visit www.familyautofest.com,or email info@familyautofest.com.
