The line of automobiles to enter the 35th annual Pace-Makers Association’s Annual Car Show in Palmerton completely surrounded the Palmerton Borough Park by 9 o’clock Saturday morning.

More than 300 cars, trucks, motorcycles, and some of which seemed to defy description began the registration process and took their places inside the park.

Cars as early as the 1920s up to more modern exotic and sports cars. Some were in the early stages of restoration, some with gleaming paint jobs and handled with meticulous care.

The reasons for owning these vehicles are as varied as the owners themselves.

The first car to enter was a 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass owned by Joe Curran of Lehighton.

“I’ve had this car since I was 18 years old,” Curran said. “I got it in 1971.”

Curran admits the car needed a good bit of restoration, which was done about six years ago. The gleaming blue paint job showed the work needed to bring it back to life

Ed Zucal from Allentown had his 1922 Ford Model T 4-door sedan for about 2-1/2 years, and he enjoys driving it every weekend.

“I had a 1927 two-door Model T,” he explained, “but I wanted something a little bigger to take the family for a ride, so I found this up by Cabela’s.”

It’s almost like a camping trip. The owners set up lawn chairs, small tables, often setting up tents and canopies.

“You need to have something to protect you from the sun.,” explained Rick Pach, from Royersford, who brought his 1932 Ford Roadster, which he had built in 2005.

The Dorward and Heydt families brought a 1923 Ford Streetrod that belongs to Mark Heydt Jr.

“This is my father-in-law’s car,” Mark Dorward explained. “He doesn’t get a chance to do this anymore, so we brought it out for him. We’ve been here many, many times. This is the first time having a car in it.”

All proceeds from the show benefit local youth recreational and sports organizations, the main focus of the Pace-Makers Association.

Past donations from the club include the playground at the Palmerton Borough Park, sports equipment for area school and civic sports groups, and camping trips for area Scouts.