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Cars line up to register at last year’s Back to the 50’s Weekend.

Classic cars filled Cascade Park during the 2021 Back to the 50s Weekend.

Cars line up to register at last year’s Back to the 50’s Weekend.

Classic cars filled Cascade Park during the 2021 Back to the 50s Weekend.

The 36th Back to the 50’s Weekend takes place Sept. 2-4 at Cascade Park. Car registration op…

The calendar may say 2022, but for the 36th time, Tamra Lombardo is visiting the 1950s.

As organizer of the Back to the 50’s Weekend taking place Sept. 2-4 at Cascade Park, Lombardo oversees the lineup of vintage vehicles, entertainment, food and family fun. Her father, Chuck Lombardo, was one of the founders of the event.

Originally, proceeds from Back to the 50’s were donated to various charities including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, however, after the elder Lombardo was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the Alzheimer’s Association became the chosen beneficiary. Tamra estimates the event has raised about $10,000 for the organization through the years.

“I hope we help them find a cure. It’s a horrible disease,” Tamra said noting that her grandmother and great-aunt also had Alzheimer’s.

It was Chuck’s diagnosis that prompted a two-year pause in the formerly annual event with no car show held in 2018 or 2019.

While Tamra hoped to resume the event in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled that plan.

Back to the 50’s returned last year, and, according to Tamra, “went really well. There were a lot of new cars and new faces but there were also the same old friends.”

For this year’s show, Tamra, assisted by Ed Holsinger, is keeping things local when it comes to entertainment.

“Our budget is next to nothing because businesses that used to donate just don’t have the money and we still have to pay to rent the park, for the police and the utilities,” she explained. “Keeping it local kept it a lot more affordable.”

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a full line-up of bands and, as of Aug. 19, more than 300 cars were pre-registered. Several food vendors are also signed up, including newbie Connie Creek Brewery.

And, Tamra noted, the event remains affordable to attend.

“Where else can you go to show your car and get admission for two people for $25?” she said, adding that spectator admission is just $5 and free for those 12 and under.

Tamra hopes her now 80-year-old father will be one of those in attendance.

“We cherish his good days,” she said. “We’re lucky we’ve been able to keep him at home and when his friends come over and talk about cars, he’s still spot on. He knows the car show’s coming up and he gets excited when we talk about it.

“It’s hard doing this without him — a lot hard,” Tamra continued. “I’m used to looking to my right or my left and saying ‘Hey, Dad you do all the talking,’ and he’s not there. But in his own way he’s still going strong and we hope to keep this show going strong for him. Times may be different, but this is part of New Castle forever.”

Renée Gendreau is a lifestyles reporter at the New Castle News. Email her at rgendreau@ncnewsonline.com.

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