This year, for every automobile sold, $20 will be donated to the Harford County Commission on Veterans' Affairs to help needy veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This donation is right in line with our long tradition of community support," says Thomas D. Walls, President of the Bel Air New Car Dealers Association. "The New Car Dealers Association has been giving back to the community for decades. We've made donations to local schools, to The Arc, and to Scouts. We've held multiple charity golf tournaments and we endow a permanent scholarship to Harford Community College. Now we want to give a hand to those in the armed forces who have served us and our nation."
"There are many veterans returning from overseas who have special needs that the Army or Veterans groups can't adequately meet," says Edward T. Kreiner, Harford County Commissioner of Veterans' Affairs. "My commission works with a conglomerate of twenty-eight separate state and local organizations, representing 46,000 returnees from the present conflicts, and we can ensure that the donations from the Bel Air New Car Dealers Show & Sale will benefit Harford County veterans in need."
The Bel Air Labor Day Weekend New Car Show & Sale is the largest and most successful auto show in the region. In 2007, over six hundred cars were reported sold at the event.
"We're looking forward to a great Labor Day Weekend," says Steve Smeltzer, General Manager at Jones Toyota. "The combined group will display over a thousand new cars'd1cars from BMW, Mini, Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, Jeep, Mazda, Saturn, Chrysler, Toyota, Scion, GMC, Nissan, Subaru, Hyundai, Ford, Dodge, Honda, and Kia. You can test drive a new car, get a first look at new 2008 models, and take advantage of deep discounts on remaining 2007s."
"Every dealership plans to display at the Festival at least twenty cars that get better than 30 mpg," says Chuck Boyle, President of Boyle Buick Pontiac. "We'll have on-site financing, prizes and gifts, food and drink, even a moon bounce for the kids! No admission fee'd1it's all free and open to the public!"
The show opens on Thursday, August 28 at 5 pm, and runs from 5 pm to 9 pm on Thursday, 10 am to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10 am to 5 pm on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 1. Although the show will not be open on Sunday, August 31, due to Harford County regulations, the cars will still be on display for public viewing.
Members of the Bel Air New Car Dealers Association include BMW-Mini of Bel Air, Bob Bell Chevrolet of Bel Air, Boyle Buick Pontiac, Heritage Auto Mall Bel Air Cadillac-Jeep-Mazda-Saturn, Jones Bel Air Nissan-Subaru-Hyundai, Jones Chrysler-Toyota-Scion-GMC Truck, Plaza Ford, Schaefer & Strohminger's Bel Air Dodge, Schaefer & Strohminger's Bel Air Honda, and Thompson Kia.
The New Car Show & Sale is free and open to the public and will be held rain or shine at the Festival at Bel Air, Rte. 24 and Bel Air South Parkway