The event kicks off Friday with a swap meet at the Holiday Inn on Presidential Drive in Fairborn, along with a silent auction and other events, before the cruise-in at the Mall at Fairfield Commons from 5-9 p.m. The cruise-in will be near the JCPenney back parking lot, and features live entertainment, and activities for car enthusiasts of all ages.
The event is free to spectators, and parking for Holiday Inn events is located across the street from the hotel.
Saturday is the prime day of the show, according to Jerry Minor, chairman of the event and president of the TransAm Club of America’s Dayton chapter. Cars entered into competition are judged across 30 different show classes, broken down by year, and then by modifications to the car. A second cruise-in Saturday night will be in downtown Tipp City from 5-9 p.m.
Pontiac Firebirds were built from 1967 to 2002, designed to provide American consumers with a classic sports car in direct competition with the Ford Mustang.
The love of Pontiac Firebirds is “in our blood,” Minor said.
“You’ll see see a little bit of everything. We really treat this as almost a family reunion. Especially in the evening, you’re going to find big groups of people just hanging out, talking, telling stories,” Minor said. “It’s just a fun weekend.”
Trans Am Nationals, which has grown to be one of the largest all-Pontiac shows in the world, is celebrating their 38th year in the Dayton area. This year, nearly 400 cars have pre-registered so far, with more expected to cruise in if the weather is good, organizers said. Last year, 516 Pontiacs from 34 states descended on the Mall at Fairfield Commons, the first time a Friday cruise-in was held there.
“We love to have the cars, and we love to have the people,” Minor said.
Nearly 400 cars are registered for the event all weekend, and the cruise-in at the mall will feature Pontiac Firebirds from across the decades, as well as live music by Stranger, a beer garden sponsored by Bud Light and BJ’s Brewhouse, and a variety of local food trucks, a spokesperson for the mall said. In addition, the event will feature raffles, a kid zone with a bounce house, face painting, local vendors and more.
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