Car club cancels September show
POTTSTOWN » A potential borough council vote to rescind a permit for a downtown car show in September never happened.
That’s because the car show organizers, from the Red Horse Motoring Club, had already canceled the show.
Borough Manager Justin Keller made the announcement during Monday’s council meeting, the agenda for which included a possible vote on rescinding the car show’s September permit.
But the Red Horse Motoring Club, which had revived Pottstown’s downtown car shows prior to the coronavirus pandemic, alerted Keller that the show is being canceled, “so there wasn’t any need for a vote,” said Keller.
The show has come under criticism from Mayor Stephanie Henrick and Councilwoman Lisa Vanni because they said too many of those attending were not wearing masks or practicing appropriate social distancing, thus risking further spread of COVID-19, which has caused a global pandemic.
Steve Everett, a principal in the Red Horse Car Club, did not keep a phone appointment Tuesday with a reporter to provide comment and attempts to reach Red Horse CEO Chuck Harders Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Keller said in addition to the September car show, a “First Responders Appreciation” event, approved for Sept. 12, was also canceled by the organizers.
Last week, for the second straight month, Henrick and Vanni said the mask-wearing at that month’s car show had been sub-optimal.
Resident Darlene Bainbridge chided the council for the manner in which the car show organizers were singled out.
“I do wear a mask because I am considerate to others,” she said, adding “I took issue with on business being singled out for not policing people for not wearing masks, which is contradicted by the fact that many of our police officers don’t wear masks.”
As mayor, Henrick officially oversees the police department.
“I’ve seen photos of police officers, out with children, not wearing masks,” said Bainbridge. “And I would hope that next time the organizers can be dealt with more professionally, without be