Since high school, when she drove a white Chevrolet Caprice, Becky Kennington has been in love with cars.
“For a girl, I know it’s kind of weird,” says Kennington, of Skokie.
So two years ago, when a fellow car enthusiast invited her to take her butternut 1966 Caprice to a small local car show, she jumped at the opportunity.
Kennington is now one of about 100 owners of vintage and late model vehicles who gather at 4032 Oakton in Skokie every week during the summer for the Monday Night Car Show.
For Kennington, the show provides a chance to show off her car, but without the high-stakes pressure featured at many car shows.
The event, which began in 2006 and was called the Da’Nali’s Classic Car Show until this year, is the brainchild of entrepreneur Rick Glickman.
Glickman thought it would be fun to have a neighborhood car show. “I don’t know if it will ever be that big,” Glickman recalls thinking.
Thankfully, he was wrong. Slowly, the event caught on and now enjoys a weekly attendance of up to 400 spectators. As the event grew, Glickman thought it could be used to make a difference in the community.
“If we’re going to have this many people, we should really do something for the community,” Glickman thought. He decided to set up a scholarship fund for the automotive shop and engineering students at Niles North and Niles West High Schools. Profits from raffles and a weekly auction go to the scholarship fund.
The event is show-and-tell for big kids. Owners bring their vehicles, which range from a vintage Rolls Royce to a $200,000 Lamborghini, and show them off. Spectators enjoy food, live Oldies music and presentations from car experts.
The free shows run most Mondays, weather permitting, from 6 to 9 p.m., from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
