Classic cars roll into Riverhead to raise money for Ukraine

Gray skies, chilly wind and scattered drizzle did not keep classic car enthusiasts from turning out Saturday for a fundraiser at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Riverhead to benefit the people of Ukraine.

The second annual car show, organized by Mike Malkush and the Peconic Bay Region Antique Automobile Club, drew about 55 to 60 cars and roughly 20 antique motorcycles to the church grounds, despite weather that felt more like March than the end of May.

The show had originally been scheduled for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, but was postponed to its May 30 rain date because of rain. Saturday’s weather was not ideal either, Malkush said and likely kept some people home, but it was a good turnout nonetheless.

“Considering the weather, because we were supposed to have it the previous weekend, and of course it rained, so this was our rain date, and then it wasn’t the most ideal day, we still had what I thought was a great turnout,” Malkush said.

The event raised money through car registrations, gate admission, a 50-50 raffle, donations, food sales and sponsorships. Malkush said final figures were still being tallied, but the event raised thousands of dollars for Ukraine relief.

The fundraiser brought together parishioners, car club members, visitors and volunteers, Malkush said. Church volunteers helped set up the night before, staffed the event during the day and helped break everything down afterward.

“It was a great event because it brought the parishioners of the church together with the car club and everybody else that came,” Malkush said. “It was really a good community event.”

The event was personal for Malkush, a Cutchogue resident and Peconic Bay Region Antique Automobile Club member whose father was from Ukraine. Malkush said he remembers his father sending packages to relatives in Ukraine when he was a child. He and his wife, Carol, were married at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church 49 years ago.

When Russia’s war in Ukraine began, Malkush said, he felt drawn to help the church’s relief efforts. He recalled going to Walmart with his wife and filling one shopping cart with medical supplies and another with clothing to bring to the church, where volunteers were packing donations to be shipped overseas.

“You want to do what you can for these poor people,” he said.

The church’s pastor, the Rev. Bohdan Hedz, came to New York from Ukraine in 1998 and has served as pastor of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church since 2014. Since the war began, Hedz and church volunteers have led a large relief effort, collecting clothing, food, medical supplies and other donations for shipment to Ukraine.

The idea for the car show grew out of a conversation at one of the church’s chicken barbecues, Malkush said. Someone suggested the church property would make a good location for a car show. Malkush, who had previously helped organize car shows at the Cutchogue Village Green, agreed.

Malkush’s twin grandsons, Jacob and Tyler Malkush, 17, have helped him with car shows since they were about 6 years old, selling lemonade, raffle tickets and helping wherever needed. Last year, they were part of the committee for the Ukraine fundraiser, helping secure sponsors, attend meetings with the car club and the priest, and register show cars at the event. This year, friends from Mattituck High School also volunteered to help at the show.

Cars came from across Long Island, including Nassau County, Riverhead, the North Fork, the South Fork and Miller Place, Malkush said. The show began at 9 a.m., but some cars began arriving as early as 8 a.m. so owners could secure their spots.

Among the highlights was a 1930 Duesenberg Model J, a rare car Malkush described as “spectacular.” The car, owned by Howard Kroplick of Nassau County, was displayed on the church grounds along Merritts Pond, and later brought up to the red carpet for presentation. Malkush said the car was the show’s grand prize winner.

The event also featured rows of Corvairs, Corvettes, Model A Fords, imported cars and antique motorcycles, including a 1930s-era motorcycle with a sidecar.

A major draw, Malkush said, was GT Joey Limongelli, a Peconic Bay Region Antique Auto club member and automotive historian who served as emcee. Limongelli brought select vehicles up to a red carpet, interviewed their owners and explained the history and mechanics of the cars to the crowd.

“He’s like an encyclopedia of cars,” Malkush said. “He really educates the audience and keeps everybody engaged.”

At one point, Limongelli brought four Corvairs up together and discussed the model’s rear-engine design. He also presented a series of Corvettes, including cars from the 1950s, a 1963 split-window Corvette and newer models, showing how the car evolved over the decades.

“A lot of times, a car show is just a lot of cars in a parking lot or in a field,” Malkush said. “But Joe talks. He made it so interesting.”

Limongelli has been involved with car shows from Amelia Island, Florida to Pebble Beach, California, Malkush said. He and Malkush have organized several local fundraiser car shows together since 2014, with Limongelli’s red-carpet interviews becoming a signature part of the events.

A DJ played music from the 1950s and early 1960s, setting the mood for the vintage vehicles. Hedz also blessed the cars.

The Peconic Bay Region Antique Auto Club is a regional chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America. The club previously held an annual car show at Hallockville Museum Farm for many years before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted events, Malkush said.

Malkush said the East End is a natural destination for car enthusiasts, with scenic roads, historic diners and landmarks that make the North Fork appealing for vintage-car outings.

“To be in Riverhead like that, on such beautiful property, for such a good cause — it was just a home run for everybody,” he said.

The club plans to hold the show again next year, Malkush said, likely on the weekend after Memorial Day.

Donations to support Ukraine relief efforts may be made by check mailed to St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, 820 Pond View Road, Riverhead NY 11901. Please write “Humanitarian Aid” in the memo line.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Emil Breitenbach Jr. except as otherwise noted