Love classic cars? Or is your passion handcrafted art? Or do you generally support the New Paltz Fire Department (NPFD) and everything it does? Then you’ll probably want to head out to the Ulster County Fairgrounds this Saturday, May 10.
That’s when the NPFD is holding its 2014 Cars and Crafts Show fundraiser, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Firefighters have held the show since 2009, occasionally skipping a year. In previous years, the car show featured a flea market and took place at NPFD Station 2, on Henry W. Dubois Drive.
But interest in the event — and the desire to make it bigger and better — has won out.
Now, 2014 is the first year with a big focus on handcrafted Hudson Valley-made art and goodies. The flea market is back and bigger too. The event will also feature food provided by the NPFD.
And all the field space at the county fairgrounds should give a ton of extra room for those ’57 Chevys, Ford Model A’s and other gems from Detroit and beyond.
Expect a little more fanfare and some good music this year too. It turns out WRRV will be there from 10 a.m. till noon doing a live spot, and they’ll be larded down with prizes and loot.
Kids will have a ton of stuff to do — besides ogle awesome automobiles — there will be at least two bouncy houses, a mechanical bull and a zip line.
The New Paltz Police Department will be there offering free car seat checks for parents with young kids. As anyone who has tried to put a newfangled car seat in themselves — that service is as good as gold.
New York state troopers will also be there, staging a rollover demonstration.
Admission costs $1 for people 12 or older, but that comes with a free raffle ticket. Some of the prizes are worth $75 or more. There will also be door prizes.
Joe Jurain is a firefighter involved in the planning of the event, in part, because his wife Nicole, who makes pottery, help set up the crafts side of thing. Cars that show up at the show are usually somewhat a surprise, he noted.
“It’s broken down by interest. We’ve got a guy that’s even thinking of bringing an antique farm tractor,” Jurain said. “Anybody can bring any kind of vehicle to be shown.”
Branden Jansen is another firefighter who helped set up the event. Categories of prizes will be broken down by vehicle type.
“Our car show is open to all years, makes and model vehicles,” said Jansen. “There will be trophies given out for best in show, top car, top truck, top motorcycle, special interest. The top 20 in points will get trophies.”
Proceeds from the event will go to benefit the non-profit New Paltz fire company, which supports the all-volunteer department’s members. NPFD is a village department, but the non-profit group fundraises to cover extra costs or make capital improvements or maintain the station houses.
“We’re raising money just to offset our cost of operating during the year,” Jurain explained. “It offsets stuff that the budget doesn’t necessarily cover.”
People who’d like to register a car should head to www.newpaltzfire.org and download a registration form. Registration fees are $15, and it can be done even the day of on Saturday, May 10. Come early or preregister if you want to win — cars that come later than noon won’t be judged. They’ll just be displayed.
Car show applicants should also be aware that no burn-outs or peel-outs, no engine revving or loud radios are allowed at the show.
To learn more, search for “New Paltz Fire Department Inc. Cars and Crafts” on Facebook. According to Jurain, that page is the best place to look for breaking updates on the car show.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Join the family! 
