Friday Night Car Shows return to Niwot Market

Niwot Market's own Bert Steele has been hosting a local car show since 2020 that helped keep restaurants alive during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the restaurants near the Niwot Market struggled to stay in business during the height of the coronavirus, Steele felt there had to be something that someone could do to bring attention to Niwot's businesses and bring people together.

Steele worked with multiple other business owners and prominent community members to brainstorm ideas on how to rekindle the liveliness of Niwot and its small businesses.

Eventually, with the help of people such as Pat Murphy of the Niwot Group-Compass and Tara Shaheen of the Niwot Tavern, they settled on hosting a car show held in the parking lot of the Niwot Market. This was quite exciting for Steele as he owns a 1963 Chevy Stepside that he takes pride in displaying.

Once the decision was made, the small group reached out to the Niwot Chiefs Cool Car Club, who emailed their members regarding the upcoming event. From then on, "These guys just started coming each week," Steele explained. Steele has been documenting the number of cars that show up each week, and he said that a slow night normally provides about 20 cars, and a fast night brings about 40.

The group hoped to spark interest in the Niwot Tavern by giving out drink tickets (for a free drink at the Tavern) to those who displayed their vehicles at the event. Those who bought drinks would eventually become frequent visitors to the restaurant, not just using their drink ticket, but making purchases that supported the restaurant. Thus business came to the Niwot Tavern during a difficult time with the help of the Friday Night Car Shows.

Not only did people frequently come each Friday to get a free drink, but they built a community of people with similar interests. The people who show up talk about cars and get to know one another because of a shared hobby. Each and every car that has been shown during these Friday night events is unique and impressive, as well as the people who own them.

David Neznek, a participant in the most recent Friday night show, owns a 1949 Willys-Overland Jeepster, which was only available to buy for a short period of time. He has had the car's appearance enhanced by adding a subtle shine to its already silver appearance.

Another participant, Kevin Spencer, brought his 1967 Volkswagen Beetle to the show. The Volkswagen Beetle was converted to electric by Spencer himself, and is now powered by a Tesla battery. Both of these dedicated car owners have worked hard toward achieving their automotive goals.

Although the pandemic is largely behind us, and restaurants have returned to their previous state of operations, the car show has remained. Since 2020, the car show has continued to be a consistent reminder of community among the car enthusiasts of Niwot.

The event is now co-sponsored by Tom Valdez, the owner of Niwot Liquor. The supporters and participants of the Niwot Market Car Show have benefited this community greatly, and it will continue to thrive each and every Friday night from 5 to 8 p.m. throughout the summer.

Beginning June 16, the Friday Night Car Show will run concurrently with the Niwot Market's Friday Night Dinners, with more information on their social media and at http://www.niwotmarket.com.