Riverhead classic car show raises funds for Ukraine relief

A gray, chilly stretch of weather could not cool the turnout at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Riverhead, where classic-car owners, motorcycle riders and parish volunteers turned a hobby show into a fundraiser with direct ties to the war in Ukraine.

The second annual Blessing of the Cars drew about 55 to 60 cars and roughly 20 antique motorcycles to 820 Pond View Road, where the Peconic Bay Region Antique Automobile Club organized the event with Mike Malkush at the center. The show raised thousands of dollars through car registrations, gate admission, a 50-50 raffle, donations, food sales and sponsorships, money that is intended to help ship food and medicine to Ukraine.

The turnout came despite chilly wind, gray skies and drizzle that felt more like March than the end of May. The event had originally been set for Memorial Day weekend, then moved to a rain date, and even then some people stayed home because of the weather. Still, enough drivers and spectators came through the grounds to make the fundraiser a success and keep the East End gathering pointed toward a cause far beyond Suffolk County.

For Malkush, the fundraiser was personal as well as civic. His father was from Ukraine, and Malkush and his wife were married at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church 49 years ago. That gave the show a different meaning than a routine car meet. It linked an Eastern Long Island car club, a parish community and a family history shaped by Ukraine.

The church has said it has received many inquiries since the invasion began from people asking how to help Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Rev. Bohdan Hedz and parish volunteers helped anchor the event in the life of the church, where the support has been visible and sustained rather than symbolic.

The Peconic Bay Region Antique Automobile Club, established in 1993, is a chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America and has long served Eastern Long Island enthusiasts who preserve vintage vehicles and build local fellowship around them. In Riverhead, that preservation culture became a practical relief effort, with admission set at $5 for spectators and free for children under 12, and registration fees set at $20 per car for pre-registered entries, $25 per car the day of the show and $10 per antique motorcycle.

For Suffolk residents, the show underscored how a parish parking lot on Pond View Road can still connect local civic life to an international crisis.