Winners at the Amherst Lions Club 15th Annual Car Show from the East Coast Challenger Club for 2026 include these celebrants, from left, David Sellers, of Framingham, Mass., who took First Place in Class K Best Modern Mopar category, Steve Desmarais, of Merrimack, who took Second Place in Best Modern Mopar for the Jazz Blue 2015 Hellcat in which he's sitting, Pauline Desmarais, Steve's wife and First Place winner of C Class Best American 1982-to-Present for her SS Monte Carlo, and Brad Reilly, of Milford, president of the ECCC, seen here displaying the trophy representing largest club presence, an honor awarded to that club for each of the past 10 years of club patronage. Courtesy photo by Tara Campbell

AMHERST – Local charities and service organizations were the beneficiaries of beau coup bucks raised at the Amherst Lions Club 15th Annual Car and Truck Show on Sept. 19, an event that drew a record 130 vehicles for judging and an estimated 1,000 visitors to the parking area of the Walmart Supercenter, 85 State Route 101A in Amherst.

“This show was a great success in bringing together local families and our members to share our mission of serving our neighbors and our community,” said Shirley Flowers, Amherst Lions Club publicity volunteer.

“We hope to see you next year for another fantastic show,” she added.

Visitors to the free event enjoyed a wide-ranging display of classic cars, sports cars, muscle cars, cruisers, antique cars and trucks exhibited in sunshine and accessorized by music, food, vendor wares and a robotics demonstration by high schoolers.

The robotics show came from the Souhegan High School (SHS) robotics team – Entropy FRC Team 138. More than 3,600 robotics teams with 90,000 student participants worldwide are documented online as members of the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) organization, a world leader in promoting science, technology, engineering and math among the young.

Car show trophies that awarded the best of 130 vehicles are tended here by Lions Club members, left to right, Sue Stout, John Swanson and Dick Stout, chairman of the car show committee. Courtesy photo by DL Photos LLC

Nearby, the Amherst Lions Club grill team served up hamburgers, hot dogs, Bratwurst topped with grilled onions — and Hayward’s Ice Cream. The event’s 50-50 raffle awarded more than $300 to the winner.

The East Coast Challenger Club (ECCC), based in Milford, is a perennial car show contender composed of 1,263 members. The club won the 2026 trophy for the 10th year in a row for having the most members in attendance. Eighteen Challengers within the Dodge Challenger line of automobiles vied for judges’ approval.

Kudos followed for New Hampshire Muscle Car Club, based in Dunbarton. The club notes online a membership of 13,000 enthusiasts whose Ford Mustangs, Pontiac Firebirds, Chevrolet Camaros and others drew trophies at the show.

Thirty sponsors are well thanked online. They add backing to club beneficiaries including SHARE in Milford, Lions Sight & Hearing project, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Bridges and Amherst Scouting America and Amherst Girl Scouts, plus Northeast Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Future in Sight, the NH Dog Sight Project and other organizations.

A nod of appreciation also is extended to the event photographer, some of whose images are shared here. Derrick Laughlin, of DL Photos LLC, a Jaffrey enterprise, provided the service as a courtesy to the Club, for they both are members of the Greater Merrimack-Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce.

A look beneath the hood was an easy task for show attendees curious about the horsepower of some of the 130 contenders in the recent 15th Annual Amherst Lions Club Car Show. Courtesy photo by DL Photos LLC

Special congratulations also are extended here to People’s Choice Winner Cory Bonugli, of Lawrence, Mass., for his 1936 Ford Coupe, and People’s Choice Second Place Winner Steven Bonczar, of Milford, for his 1953 Chevy 3100 Pickup.

The Oldest Vehicle Award among the 130 entries was won by Bill Glenn, of Pepperell, Mass., whose 1923 Ford T-Bucket truly was a blast from the past.

Winners and runners-up in 36 categories and their photos alongside their prize-winning vehicles are fully documented on the Amherst Lions Club website at https://www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/amherstnh.

Car owners hobnob with visitors drawn to the show cars presented for judging at the 15th Annual Amherst Lions Club Car Show on display Sept. 19 at the Amherst Walmart Superstore. Courtesy photo by DL Photos LLC

Amherst Lions Club grill master Steve Pray takes a turn browning some of the hamburgers served at the car show along with hot dogs and bratwurst with grilled onions. Courtesy photo

Dave Sellers, left, a car guy from Framingham, Mass., won First Place in Class K for Best Modern Mopar, as congratulated here by Brad Reilly, of Milford, president of the East Coast Challenger Club whose club for a series of 10 years has won a club trophy for best represented. Courtesy photo

Well represented at the car show was the robotics team from Souhegan High School's Entropy FRC Team 138, whose excellence generated recognition from the Amherst Lions Club's current president, King Lion Linda Ribolini, left, here gifting a team donation to William Price, senior mentor for the robotics club. Courtesy photo

A record setting 130 vehicles whose owners entered the Amherst Lions Club's 15th Annual Car Show at the Walmart Supercenter in Amherst are parked in rows for judges' consideration. Courtesy photo by DL Photos LLC

Some quality time is shared by admirers of the automotive splendor presented at the Amherst Lions Club 15th Annual Car Show, a fundraiser for a multitude of sponsored programs. Courtesy photo by DL Photos LLC