Photo by Janelle Patterson Scott Long checks the engine of his Dodge Charger Thursday at The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Cruise-In.

MARIETTA — Bright reds, yellows, and even multi-hued automobiles ranging in origin from the 1950s to the 2000s filled The Marietta Times parking lot Thursday.

“With this whole hobby you get to meet a lot of people, old and young come together on common ground and there’s always some new part or piece to talk about,” said Scott Long, 41, of Beverly, as he wiped the water off the hood of his orange 1969 Dodge Charger.

Long was one of more than 130 car enthusiasts to bring a vehicle to The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Cruise-In Thursday, eyeing racers, trucks, paint jobs and engines.

“When you rebuild a motor, do bodywork and paint, and restore the interior you travel all over for what you need,” he said. “It was in pretty rough shape when I bought it 22 years ago, but then you work nights, weekends and scour swap meets and junkyards from Pennsylvania to Florida.”

And that story–in varied forms–was repeated throughout the overflowing parking lot as motorists and their families swapped tales and laughter while the band Pickin’ on Country played from the newspaper’s loading dock.

Photo by Janelle Patterson Charles “Chuck” Cooper wipes the rain off his yellow Volkswagen Beetle Thursday at The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Cruise-In.

“We had to replace spark plugs right before coming down; there was no time for a test drive even,” laughed Rachel Austin as she pointed to an aquamarine Chevrolet truck she drove down from Caldwell.

Austin’s daughter Annelisa made sure the truck’s wheels were shining as her husband Marshall “Tiny” Burns, his brother and stepfather Carl Baker, the owner of both Chevy’s the family brought down, answered onlookers questions about the vehicles.

“It’s what we get into after work, and on weekends, we find parts and work, and once the kids get old enough to drive we’ll bring more cars to these shows,” said Burns.

Some attendees Thursday said they got into car restoration because of family like Burns’ stepdad; others said they simply like working with their hands both professionally and at home.

“I grew up driving an old Ford truck,” said Paul Conrad, 69, of Parkersburg, as he shared a towel with Burns, pulling it out of his 1958 Ford F-100 truck. “You just have to have a love for it.”

Photo by Janelle Patterson Cars and trucks of various makes and models filled The Marietta Times parking lot for the car show Thursday.

Or you have to have an eye for completing a story, according to Charles “Chuck” Cooper, 74, of Mineral Wells.

“I’d never had a Volkswagen before, and the boy that started working on this one passed away from leukemia 20-some years ago,” said Cooper. “It just sat in pieces for years after; his father couldn’t bring himself to fix it up. So I bought it about three years ago, and it still hasn’t been on the road on its own yet.”

Cooper said he’s waiting to put new miles on the bright blue Beetle until the family of Rodney Barnes, of Lubeck, W.Va., can take a look at the legacy Barnes left behind.

Four categories were judged for the car show Thursday with winning vehicles hailing from Waterford, Reno, Parkersburg and Walker, W.Va.

All vehicles entered in the show will reappear in The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel in the 2019 Classic Car publication in July.

Photo by Janelle Patterson Pickin’ on Country performs on the loading docks of The Marietta Times during the car show Thursday.

Janelle Patterson can be reached at jpatterson@mariettatimes.com.

Photo by Janelle Patterson Marshall “Tiny” Burns, left, and Rachel Austin, right, wipe down Chevy cars owned by Carl Baker with their daughter, Annelisa, back, at The Marietta Times and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel Cruise-In Thursday.

Photo by Janelle Patterson Cars and trucks of various makes and models filled The Marietta Times parking lot for the car show Thursday.

Photo by Janelle Patterson Cars and trucks of various makes and models filled The Marietta Times parking lot for the car show Thursday.