Festival Car Show: A Classic
Under a sunshine-filled autumn sky, car, truck, and motorcycle enthusiasts strolled amongst rows of vehicles at the 2026 Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Antique, Classic and Custom Car Show, held at Barnesville High School. According to festival officials, a total of 351 vehicles, each worthy of an award, were in attendance on Sunday, September 27, but the judges were challenged to select around ninety entries for awards.
Reigning Pumpkin Festival Queen Lynzee Ensell and Mini Miss Lucille Jefferis assisted with distributing winners’ trophies at the conclusion of the judging. Dan “Boots” Longenette, Pumpkin Festival Committee member and founder of Auto Smarts Media Group LLC, served as Master of Ceremonies.
The Best of Show award went to Kurt Finton from Coshocton, Ohio, for his custom-built 1937 Studebaker Coupe Express. Known as the Hellcat Express, this street rod has a Crystal Champagne Pearl painted exterior. It is powered by a 707 Hp supercharged 6.2L Hemi with an 8 speed automatic transmission. Finton’s truck has won numerous awards on the national car show circuit, including the Hot Hauler award at the 2024 Goodguys Rod and Custom Association show, Goodguys Top 10 Street Rods of the Year, and the National Street Rod Association Pro’s Pick Award at the 2025 NSRA Street Rod Nationals. Earlier this year, the Studebaker was also featured as one of the premier custom trucks at Detroit Autorama.
Barnesville’s own Garry Stephen received the Boots Auto Smarts Radio Pick Award of Excellence. Stephen’s 1963 Chevy Impala in Cordoba Brown caught the eye of many spectators throughout the day. Stephen’s Impala is all original with only 44,000 miles and is powered with a 409 cubic-inch V8 and a 4 speed manual transmission. Stephen is a long time car enthusiast who has enjoyed cars throughout his life. Stephen stated his first car was also a 1963 Chevy Impala.
Kurt Massey, winner of Best Street Rod, left Georgetown, Pennsylvania, at five o’clock on Sunday morning and was the first to register for the show. Massey has attended multiple car shows throughout the years, but this was his first time at the Pumpkin Festival car show. Massey and his wife, Pam own multiple custom and classic cars but chose to bring their newest car, The Deuce 32 Radio Flyer. According to Kurt, Pam, fell in love at first sight with The Deuce 32 and offered to purchase it from the original owner, but the offer was refused. The former owner committed to giving the Masseys first option to purchase the car if it was ever for sale. Two years later, the option to purchase became a reality.
Brynna Jennewein of Barnesville received the 2026 Young Guns Award. The Young Guns Award was presented to recognize and encourage young car lovers’ ongoing participation in car shows. Jennewein loves her immaculate 1973 Green and White Volkswagen Beetle and enjoys both attending car shows and meeting other car owners. When asked how she became a car enthusiast, she shared that as a youngster she enjoyed riding in her mother’s VW. Jennewein enjoyed her experience so much that the only car she wanted when she began driving was a VW of her own.
Ted Wierzbicki of Belmont, Ohio, received the Best Engine Award for his 1955 Chevrolet 3100 Stepside truck. The Renegade Blue ‘55 truck is powered by a 383 cubic inch engine with two Holley four barrel carburetors. Wierzibicki is a pure automotive enthusiast and loves working on and creating a perfect showpiece. He completed the majority of the work on his truck on his own and earned the Steele Rubber Products Master Builder Award in 2019 at the Pittsburgh World of Wheels. Wierzibicki’s truck has won awards at many local and regional car shows and gained recognition in multiple states and cities while participating in competitions including World of Wheels, Autorama and Cavalacade of Customs.
Belmont’s Ken Davis stands beside his 1970 Black Dodge Charger SE 500 which also displayed the original paperwork in the window. Davis ordered this Charger on April 6, 1970, from then local Dodge auto dealer, Browne Kinney. The dealership was located in Barnesville at 110 North Gardner Street. The Charger SE 500 was manufactured at the St. Louis Assembly plant. Immediately upon its delivery to Kinney Motors on June 16, 1970, the car was taken on a several hour test drive. The Charger package included a 383 CID engine with a 4 barrel carburetor, 4 speed transmission and a high performance axle package. The interior included leather bucket seats, a rallye style instrument panel, and a sport steering wheel. When attending car shows, Davis displays the original paperwork in the window of the Charger.
Crowds enjoyed vehicles all afternoon at the Antique, Classic and Custom Car Show. Sponsors for the 2026 edition of the car show were Joe’s Tire, TBT Customs, Fisher Family and Sports Chiropractic, Route 40 Lumberjaxe, Auto Smarts Radio, and Lasure Enterprises, LLC.
Excerpt List of 2026 Barnesville Pumpkin Festival Antique Classic and Custom Car Show Winners
Barnesville Festival officials provided the winner list.
- Best of Show — 1937 Studebaker Coupe Express (Kurt Finton)
- Boots Auto Smarts Radio Pick Award of Excellence — 1963 Chevy Impala (Garry Stephen)
- Best Interior — 1968 Chevy C10 (Chuck Moskey)
- Dick Johnson Memorial Award for Best Paint — 1940 Ford (Chuck Malone)
- Best Engine — 1955 Chevy Truck (Ted Wierzbicki)
- Best Ford — 1955 Ford Thunderbird (Mark Wilson)
- Best Chevy — 1969 Chevy Camaro (Rudy Yurkovich)
- Best Import — 1961 Aston Martin Mini Cooper (Leroy and Kim)
- Best Original — 1969 Chevy Camaro (Mike Carpenter)
- Best Muscle Car — 1966 Chevy Corvette (Brodie Kovalski)
- Best Race Car — 1974 Chevy Vega (Dan Moellendick)
- Best Pro Street — 1972 Chevy Nova (Mark Black)
- Best Buick Olds Pontiac — 1967 Pontiac GTO (Dexter Martin)
- Best Street Rod — 1932 Ford Radio Flyer (Kurt Massey)
- Best Tuner — 2010 BMW (Ben Woodring)
- Tim Rockwell Memorial Award for Best Truck — 1967 Chevy C10 (Duane Landis)
- Best Mopar — 1971 Plymouth GTX (Jon Getzlaff)
- Best Motorcycle — 1949 Harley Davidson (Brayden Moore)
- Best Tri Five Chevy — 1957 Chevy (Mickey Cupp)
- Best Future Classic — 1978 Pontiac Trans Am (Bam Bam Porreca)
- Best Modern Muscle — 2017 Chevy Corvette (Kelly Bouscher)
- Boot’s Auto Smarts Rat Rod Pick — (Richard Miller)
- Young Guns Award — 1973 Volkswagen Beetle (Brynna Jennewein)
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