The 11th Annual Archer Car Show drew record crowds to Garfield Ridge on June 5, filling nine blocks of Archer Avenue with thousands of classic cars, families, and vendors in what organizers say was the biggest community event of the year. Those in attendance hailed from varying Chicago neighborhoods, suburbs, and neighboring states like Indiana and Wisconsin.
The car show, sponsored by the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch and Midway Chamber of Commerce, has grown from a small parking lot event in 2015 to a major draw that brings foot traffic and sales to local businesses, attracts elected officials, and creates a rare moment of unity that shows “Garfield Ridge Strong.”
This year’s expansion included food trucks, vendors, free train rides, face-painting, and a designated free kids’ zone sponsored by Broke Bestie Boutique.
Show cars started parking on Archer Avenue and in the lots from Oak Park to Narragansett, starting at 3:00 p.m. That’s three hours before the 6 p.m. official start. The streets and corresponding lots filled up so quickly that the Chicago Police decided to start closing the streets at 5:00 p.m. to ensure the safety of show cars and the families that began trickling in an hour earlier.
Traffic control and designated car parking were manned by the Chicago Police and Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch volunteers. The Chicago Lawn District also provided extra foot patrol to ensure the event’s safety and prevent burnouts or drag racing. The majority of officers were PPO (Probationary Police Officers or rookies employed by Chicago with less than a year on the job).
Families parked on Archer’s side streets and in nearby school lots (Byrne Elementary, St. Daniel the Prophet, Kinzie Elementary and Kennedy High School), while others biked or walked.
Al Cacciottolo, fondly referred to as the Mayor of Garfield Ridge at Friday night’s Archer Car Show and the President of the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch (GRNW) and Secretary of the Midway Chamber of Commerce, could be seen in a neon green “event coordinator” tee speaking with police officers, directing traffic, and briefly chatting with neighborhood friends.
Cacciottolo confirmed that thousands of residents and car enthusiasts from across Illinois filled the streets of Archer on Friday night. Although he lost count and could not provide an exact number due to no car show registration, he shared that the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch’s Facebook page had 7,200 interested responses to their car show invitation. This number surpassed the previous year’s invitees and responses on Facebook.
He anticipated that the number should have been larger if there had been no forecast of rain. The event day predicted evening showers, but luckily, there was not a single gray cloud in the sky from the hours of 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The idea of the Archer Car Show started more than a decade ago, when the Midway Chamber of Commerce thought of bringing a car show to the Garfield Ridge area. However, Cacciottolo expressed that the chamber did not have the bandwidth to do it alone, so GRNW ran with it.
The Archer Car Show came to life in 2015 with Ridge Funeral Home, Loyola Medical Center (previously the McNeal Medical Center), and Chessies (the old Lindy’s Chili) parking lot. It began very small—no entertainment, no food trucks, minimal community awareness.
As the event grew, the neighborhood watch brought in Chicago Lawn District Commander Bryan Spreyne to help secure permits and manage street closures. Spreyne, a car enthusiast who attends local car shows in the suburbs, became an informal advisor and now brings his classic car and son to the Archer Car Show. On May 29, Commander Spreyne and Sergeant Marc Jarocki walked Archer Avenue with organizers to make final adjustments and speak with local businesses about street closures and participation.
Archer Avenue had street closures within the last three to four years to accommodate the safety of pedestrians and ensure that the car show was contained. Since then, it’s opened the possibility of creating a more family-friendly ambience, leading to the most foot traffic of the year.
Al Cacciottolo, Ed Alexander, Michele Doherty, and DJ Simeon Bragado, under the DJ tent, announced the split-the-pot winner. Credit: Alexis Bocanegra / Southwest Regional Publishing 
Credit: Alexis Bocanegra / Southwest Regional Publishing 
Ald. Silvana Tabares made the Archer Car Show a family night. Credit: Alexis Bocanegra / Southwest Regional Publishing 
Charlie Skoczylas, Manny Flores, Nevin Ortman, and Anthony Carli-Pociask pose for a photo at the Archer Avenue Car Show. Credit: Alexis Bocanegra / Southwest Regional Publishing 
A 1970s W30 Cutlass Supreme and a 1980s Cutlass Supreme. Credit: Alexis Bocanegra / Southwest Regional Publishing 
Garfield Ridge Resident and local business owner Kristen Bagnall took her son to see classic cars. 
This marks the 11th annual Archer Car Show, considered on of the largest events in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood. Credit: Alexis Bocanegra / Southwest Regional Publishing
This year, the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch created an advisory committee that designed a car show logo, flyer, and limited-edition commemorative shirts.
The chamber joined roughly six years ago by setting up a table next to the neighborhood watch and passing out freebies. In recent years, the chamber has co-sponsored with GRNW and helped secure permits. This year, the chamber also participated by adding their Summer-Nite Pop Up, where local vendors sold a variety of items from hand-crafted goods, clothes, and prepackaged desserts at the Biz Hub and lot on the corner of Narragansett.
Local elected officials were in attendance with their families, including Ald. Silvana Tabares (23), Ald. Marty Quinn (13), Summit Mayor Sergio Rodriguez, and State Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (22).
Ald. Tabares said, “I’m so impressed with the neighborhood watch and the Midway Chamber, with their annual car show. It just keeps growing, and it’s such a great economic boost for Archer Avenue, because so many people patronize these businesses and it really puts the neighborhood on the map.”
A lifetime Garfield Ridge resident, Carmen Simto, was overwhelmed by the turnout and liked the diagonal parking of the classic cars. She’s been to every one of the car shows and remembers when it started in the parking lots.
Linx Seabrooks came out with his Subaru SVX luxury sports coupe. He’s been in the car scene for the past decade, having joined the local Subaru SVX club in 2016 and begun attending car shows in the Chicagoland area.
“I like to show off my car and go to as many of the shows as possible,” Seabrooks said. “This is the one that’s the nearest to my house and in a kind of convenient situation.”
A unique addition to his car was the identical Subaru SVX Matchbox car hanging from his popped hood.
Seabrooks explained that Ryu Asada, a Japanese immigrant, manufactured the Matchbox design of the Subaru SVX and part of the 2019 SVX lineup. Asada, a longtime designer for Hot Wheels and Matchbox, had a personal connection with the SVX, as he owned two of the vehicles in college.
Rigoberto Rodriguez was out with his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, Elisa and Leo Rodriguez. His grandchildren were sitting in the flatbed of his classic car while his daughter-in-law sat nearby on a lawn chair, taking in the warm evening.
The 1970s Chevy C10 had been sitting in Rodriguez’s garage for 20 years and needed serious work. Last year, the Rodriguez family surprised him on his birthday by restoring the Chevy C10 to its current state.
Rodriguez owned three Chevy C10s in his lifetime, but the one at the car show was the last one he kept. This is the first car show he has attended in nearly 30 years, and he enjoyed that he had the opportunity to spend it with family.
Jessica Ramirez is the owner of Broke Bestie Boutique (6659 W Archer Ave, Chicago). She is also a mother of two children under two, a lifetime Garfield Ridge resident, and a Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch advisory member.
Broke Bestie opened in January 2024, and since then she’s found ways to be more community involved: “We are a little bit more active than we were last year. We weren’t really sure what the need was, but I think the longer that we’re here in the community, we’re able to see what people want and need.”
In recent chamber-sponsored events, she’s offered her space as a spot for parents who couldn’t find childcare in time.
She wanted to be able to give an experience for both the adults and children on the night of the car show. Similar to the concept of water play places, Jessica lets parents who frequent her indoor playroom a chance to relax and take a seat while the kids enjoy themselves.
Ramirez set up a fenced play area outside her boutique where kids could safely play throughout the car show, with supervision.
Gustav “Gus” Chavez attended his third annual car show with his wife and friends. He remarked that it always had a consistent turnout and couldn’t pass up the chance to show his ’87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
“I fell in love with cars since my eyes opened,” Chavez joked. He recalled that watching the ’80s TV show Knight Rider and seeing KITT, the AI-powered car, ignited his passion for cars.
Carlos Murillo shared that it was his first time at the Archer Car Show. He found out about the Southside show on a Facebook Car Group like Chitown cars, and his friends from Windy City Car Shows also advertised the event.
He started with an ’83 Cadillac Coupe de Ville in high school and has always had a passion for cars. On June 5, he brought out his classic car, a 1963 Miller Station wagon, and polished it as the show began.
“I came out with my daughter and wife. My daughter loves riding in the third row seat facing backward, and she even cleaned the wagon herself. Recently, she’s been wanting to come out to more and more shows with me.”
Ali and Zach Gammonley attended this year’s car show with their baby girl. A year ago, Ali attended the car show while pregnant; this year, she pushed her almost one-year-old in a stroller.
They came out in support of Ali’s mother, Deb Kurcab, Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch Board Treasurer and an organizer of the car show.
“We love seeing everyone out. All the effort the volunteers put into having this event is amazing. We also want to thank the Chicago Police and the 8th District for their support,” Ali and Zach said in a joint statement to the Greater Southwest News-Herald.
The Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch and Midway Chamber of Commerce will hold their next Archer Car Show in June 2027, and organizers expect an even bigger crowd with more streets.