The Main Street Program’s 24th annual Piedmont Natural Gas Day B4 Father’s Day Car Show featured 400 antique cars, trucks, and a tractor along Main Street in Downtown Anderson on Saturday.

Carey Jones, organizer with The Main Street Program, said it is one of his favorite events all year.

“I just like seeing everyone and the cars; see what they do,” said Gary Schultz of Williamston, with his great Pyrenees Kia and son, Andrew Schultz. Some cars are on display with original parts, many restored, and some customized.

The only tractor on display, a 1942 International Farmall M has a story of its own.

It was owned by the late Alton Carpenter and handed down to his son Pat Carpenter of Anderson.

Pat sat beside his son Trent and grandson Andrew under a tent amid 90-degree heat.

A sign for visitors to read tells the story.

“Built at International Tractor Works Plant, Rock Island, Illinois. The tractor was shipped by rail to Wise Implement Co. in Lincolntown, NC. It was sold to a sawmill to power his sawmill. Lumber was produced at this sawmill to aid in the war effort. After the war, lumber was needed for building farmsteads for returning soldiers.

“In 1949, the tractor was treaded to Wise Implement Co. for a new tractor. After an engine overhaul it was sold to Alton Carpenter of Cherryville, NC. This tractor remained on the Carpenter farm until 2003. Upon the death of Alton Carpenter, the tractor was handed down to his grandson and great-grandson. This tractor will stay in Anderson, S.C. for a long deserved rest.”

Down South Main Street, Dave Boles’s completed Land Speed Vehicle, completed in 2023, catches the eyes of visitors who have seen cars and trucks for blocks up and down South Main Street. Some wonder what it is, but according to Boles, many take photos of the vehicle driven only three times. Tested at 168 miles per hour, a certificate leans on the rocket-like silver machine with a parachute on a trailer.

The car show expanded onto Whitner Street and Benson Streets and around the Pegasus statue behind the Historic Anderson County Courthouse. Joe Copeland and Kitty Copeland of Belton stayed cooler under their umbrellas near their 1951 Chevrolet truck, with a custom paint job Joe is proud of. They are veterans at the Day B4 Father’s Day car shows. “We’ve been to all of them,” Joe says, smiling.

Next year, the 25th anniversary of the show can be another.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Day B4 Father’s Day car show features hundreds of popular cars, trucks