Friday Night Headlights: Meschutt Beach Car Show Is a Hampton Bays Tradition

The sounds of thundering exhaust, whistling superchargers and electrifying rock and roll shattered the otherwise placid ambience of Meschutt Beach.

A 24-year-old Hampton Bays tradition, the Meschutt Beach Car Show brings together hundreds of people in celebration of the automobile. People and cars of all types can be seen attending this car show, from hobbyist mechanics with beaten but well-loved project cars to experienced drag racers with precision-built racing machines.

Every Friday night during the summer starting around 5 p.m. the Meschutt Beach parking lot begins to fill with all makes, models, and years of cars clad in sparkling chrome and candy paint.

Joe Zanoski, a regular at the car show who brought his 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner on August 30 described it as “the greatest thing to ever happen on a Friday night.”

Tiki Joe’s, the restaurant, bar and beach club that shares parking space with the car show, often hosts live music on an outdoor stage Fridays during the well-populated event. Many of the attendees can be seen moving back and forth between the car show and Tiki Joe’s, switching between admiring cars and watching live music, and buying food and drinks.

While Tiki Joe’s does share parking space with the car show, Sue Mussenden who works for Tiki Joe’s explained that the restaurant is not the host. “We are not the organizers of the car show. No one really is. All the cars just always show up every Friday unless it rains.”

Newcomer Mike Delia said, “I love it, this is my first year” when asked what he thought of the car show. While this was Delia’s first time at this particular car show he explained that he often brings his 2021 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack to various car shows and competitions where he said he often scores quite well.

The car show presents a unique venue for auto enthusiasts to gather and express their shared passion for their preferred rides.

Delia and Zanoski enjoy Chryslers. “I just love the way they stay true. . . that’s what I love about Dodges,” Delia said.

The car show has no shortage of enthusiasts interested in other makes, like Ford and Chevrolet. John Freer brought his 800 HP 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS which he explained used to be a drag racing car back in the year 2000 that would do a quarter mile drag strip in 9.5 seconds before he converted it back to a normal street car.

Freer said he had decided to get the car since both his and his wife’s first cars were Chevelles.

John Luca, another attendee and Chevelle owner, who brought his 1970 Chevelle SS, explained why he bought his saying, “I always wanted one, but back in the day I couldn’t afford it.”

There were plenty of Fords at the show, too. Andrew Schaefer brought a 1969 Shelby Ford Mustang to the show that had been entirely restored at East End Restoration, the company where he works.

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Benjamin William Stephens is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.