South Philly Review

Sensory overload should be in full effect Sunday at the fifth annual DooWop Car Show and Street Festival. From noon until 5 p.m., the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District will present a celebration of cars, trucks and motorcycles and complement it with a visual extravaganza of live music, a craft show and the wares from scores of vendors. Likely to draw thousands, the event will look to continue what the district’s Executive Director Renee Gilinger called “a wonderful success story for the area.”

The festivities will stretch between McKean and Dickinson streets, just east of Broad Street. For those desiring visual stimulation, the Northeast Muscle Car Club is putting more than 100 muscle, antique, classic, custom and show cars, trucks and motorcycles on display. The vehicular treasures will line a four-block stretch of the Avenue between McKean and Tasker streets and will compete for 60 trophies.

Specialized trophies will include honors for Best Stock, Best Modified, Best Engine, Best Paint, Best Low Rider, Best Street Rod, Best ’50s Custom, EPABID Pick and Best of Show. A $15 fee applies for all participating cars, which must arrive by 2 p.m. to be eligible for judging.

“The cars come the day of the event, and they fit by angle parking mostly,” Gilinger said.

More ocular opportunities will come from a group of belly dancers who will perform a set from 1:40 to 2 p.m. at the parking lot between Morris and Tasker streets.

Between glances at the wheeled wonders and hyper hips, onlookers can indulge any auditory cravings with live music by Chad & Willie and Impact, plus the skills of two DJs.

“We will have the musicians located so that people will be able to hear music no matter where they are,” Gilinger, who has been with the district since December 2008, said.

With nearly 200 businesses, the district has enough offerings, especially nutritional ones, to keep everyone sated. Gilinger expects about half of the establishments to be open. Roughly15 places will be serving food and summertime beverages. Pizza, stromboli, smoked barbecue brisket, a full sushi menu, vegetarian treats and sausage and pepper sandwiches will be among the delights for famished folks.

The Bang! Boom! CRAFT! Show will inspire artistic mind-sets between Tasker and Dickinson streets at the Tasker Street Fountain. Face painting and sand art options are available too, as will car memorabilia and giveaways from oldies station WOGL.

“We are really looking to get people to walk around and have our businesses gain exposure. Exposure is the key to seeing that this area keeps up its great run,” Gilinger, who will be experiencing her second festival, said of the territory, which has become somewhat of “a hipper destination” since the festival’s ’06 inception. “People come from as far as two hours away for this event. We have to make it worthwhile.”

Pat Ciambrello, who is a member of the Northeast Muscle Car Club, is largely responsible for the festival’s existence.

“The whole thing started some years back,” he said.

A friend contacted him with the desire to have a few cars come down and sit in front of his restaurant, the now-defunct Roselina’s.

“After we shared our love for old cars, we decided on a big car show instead,” Ciambrello said.

The event has had various dates, but, according to Gilinger, it now will be the premier Sunday in August.

“It has grown to be a big event. Renee has made it so, and this year should be our best ever,” Ciambrello, who makes direct contact with the vendors, said. “We have more vendors signed up this year than in past years.”

As for the inspiration behind the “doo-wop” portion of the festival’s name, Ciambrello has the answer.

“The name came through our love for the ’50s and the fact that we had doo-wop singers singing in the street that first year. The name stuck.”