It’s that time of year again ~ antique car season. But, as many residents of Worcester know, Bob Moscoffian and his Summer Nationals car event will not be the summer car show, just like last year. That is where Marissa Brown and Gary Cooper come in.

“What happened was that we heard that the show was moving to Connecticut. and we didn’t want to have to move the cars down there,” said Cooper, owner of Brook Motors in Auburn, Mass., and co-founder of Cars of Summer. “We called a friend who got us in touch with the city and made the arrangements to start the event again.”

Worcester’s annual car show, a crowning jewel for the city during Independence Day weekend, has always been met with some hostility from the neighborhood where it takes place. Cars of Summer met with similar hostilities.

SummerCarsD“We had a lot of meetings with the residents around the area,” said Brown, also co-founder of the show. “We wanted to clean the show up when we were allowed to host it, but we had to prove it to the people in the neighborhood.”

By “cleaning up” the show, Brown and Cooper have not only appeased the neighbors but the city in general.

“We eliminated the burnouts, and that was a big one for the people,” Cooper said. “We basically got rid of anything that made a lot of noise and bothered the neighbors. We eliminated the helicopter rides, too.

“After the first show had come and gone, the Parks and Recreation Department over at Greenhill Park had commented that it was the first time in 23 years that nobody filed a complaint on the car show, which was pretty cool,” Cooper added.

SummerCarsBThe aim of the show is to show off antique cars from all generations ~ as it always has~ but the show is not only for car enthusiasts. Alongside the antique cars, there will be various food and product vendors, a car and car collectible auction and a kid zone with a bounce house and face-painting. There will be live music, including local band The Shakers and a mystery band that took time out of its scheduled national tour to come play the show. The Audubon Society will also conduct hiking around the park and canoe lessons.

Brown and Cooper do not just run the event, however; they also enter cars. Cars from the two include a 1955 Chevrolet Hudson, a 1952 Hudson and a car called a “Push Me/Pull Me,” which is has two front ends brought together, and both can be used to drive the car.

Money for the show goes to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Green Hill Park Farm, as well toward keeping the show going for the years to come.

“We want to promote Worcester,” Brown said.

The Cars of Summer show will take place from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. July 4-6 at Green Hill Park in Worcester. Tickets are $10 for a one-day pass, $25 for a one-day show car pass and $45 for a three-day car pass. Children 12 and younger can enter for free if accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be bought at carsofsummer.com.

By Kevin Swenson