By STEPHANIE BRUMFIELD / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The annual Cars by the Creek car show at Montevallo’s Orr Park is returning for its 12th year running. This year’s event will be held Saturday, Aug. 17 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at Orr Park and will feature restored classics, muscle cars, pickups, customs and more. The event is free to attend.

Show coordinator Steve Gilbert said vehicles can be registered for $20 on the day of the show, with 75-100 cars featured on average. In the past, the show has featured everything from Model-T Fords to racecars, drag cars, round-track NASCAR-style cars and modern Shelby Mustangs.

“It just depends on what folks bring out,” Gilbert said. “It’s an opportunity to come out and see a lot of different varieties of classic and custom cars.”

A lot of people come back year-to-year but bring different cars, said Impatient Creations owner Dennis Lyons, who plans to be at this year’s event.

“We don’t see the same cars every year,” Lyons said. “The cars are really on the upper-level. They’re good competitive cars as far as a car show goes.”

Lyons, who builds and restores cars with his crew at Impatient Creations, said he expects to show two cars this year – a ’57 Chevrolet convertible and a ’74 Plymouth Roadrunner. Lyons said his challenge is that he doesn’t own the cars he shows.

“They are in our shop, and they are nearing completion or are already completed,” he said. “Many times, if they’re already completed, the owner has already picked them up. (We show them) if the owners will continue letting us have them.”

Gilbert said the event is designed to be a community affair and a family-oriented day in the park with music, food, drinks, shaved ice, a children’s coloring contest and oldies music from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Cars by the Creek also produces a custom calendar every year that is given away to show participants, and the cars featured are from past shows, he said. Cars are selected for the next year’s calendar during the show.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/carsbythecreekshow.