If you go to enough car shows, after a while they can really all start to feel the same: an asphalt parking lot, 50 or so cars, and rubbery hamburgers come to mind. So when you arrive at a unique venue with some style, a wide swath of cool cars, AND the food is half decent, it really stands out. And that’s exactly what Flemings Pumpkin Run is.

We finally had the opportunity to check this show out for the first time on the occasion of it 26th annual event. Held in a retired junkyard in Egg Harbor, New Jersey, from the moment you park this show has something to look at.

You walk through piles of old Cadillacs and Lincolns to arrive at the show field, which is spread across half the property. The show car parking is first come, first serve – so it’s not laid out in any discernible fashion. What this means is you end up with a Model A Speedster backing up to a late-model BMW or a snap shot of muscle cars through the ages. And because of this you kind of zig-zag through the show, hopping from one car to another, following whatever piques your interest.

When you’ve had enough of the show field you can make your way to the farm equipment and the hit-and-miss engine area to check out some turn-of-the-century tech. This is a great chance to contemplate how far engine technology has advanced in the last 120 years while you listen to the popping of these old motors firing once every nine revolutions.

Like I said, walk around and there’s constantly something cool to look at. Flemings has a variety of Americana and history spread across the property from their 1950s diner, dragster museum, double decker bus, and even a “Car Henge-esque” monument to small outboard motors.

After getting your step count up, you can make your way to the vendor row for some better-than-average car show food. There’s hot dogs and burgers but also cheese steaks and funnel cakes, corn dogs, and more.From a food perspective, it actually feels more like being at a carnival than a car show.

And at this point you’ll find yourself smack dab in the middle of the swap meet where you can haggle on the price of everything from an old record player to T-Bucket bodies. We had a lot of fun checking out the old stuff and picked up a couple pieces of garage art for ourselves.

With everything Flemings had to offer – from the unique show field to the killer swap meet – it definitely stands out from the typical car show. So if you find yourself looking for something different to do next fall, maybe mark your calendar for early November next year for the 27th Annual Flemings Pumpkin Run. We know we will!