Saturday Nights Lights

By Tina Divara

Need a switch from the normal Saturday night routine? Need to find a place where you can see cars from different eras, makes and styles all in one location? You need to look no further than Clear Lake Shore’s Target parking lot.
Every Saturday night, weather permitting, locals from League City, Kemah, Clear Lake Shores and surrounding areas come to the Target parking lot, off Hwy. 146 near Kemah, to show off their classic or unique cars.
No one is sure how it started. Some speculate that two or more guys drove up in their classic and one-of-a-kind cars, parked and talked shop. Then the word spread, and friends and others with a similar interest in cars showed up and the tradition grew from there.
“No one is sure who is the one who really started it,” said Beau Martin, car enthusiast. “I have been coming here for more than five years with my family and we always see something interesting.”  
If you come out, you will see a range of new and old cars. You will see a 1960s Ford Mustang parked next to a 2000s Ford Mustang; it is interesting to see how the evolution of the Mustang has come about.
Though there are some complaints that there are not enough older model cars that come out to this local event.
“We need more older cars out here,” said Wally Peckham, who restores cars on the side. “I think they don’t come out here because there are too many young people out here with their newer cars.”
This Saturday Peckham brought his newest project car, a 1950 Mercury Coupe, which he brought down from Hutchinson, Kan. Peckham bought the car from a 93-year-old man who had kept the car in the garage since 1959. The coupe has only had one previous owner and is in its original condition, from the original brown tweed and vinyl upholstery to the small block Chevy engine.
Peckham almost did not get the car; he had to make two 1,700-mile-round-trips to get the coupe. The man he bought it from did not remember agreeing to sell it. When Peckham made the first trip the man said he did not recall that he was selling it and that he would have to talk to his wife.
“His wife was out of town for a class reunion and would be back in four days,” Peckham said. “So I had to wait ‘till the next weekend to make sure his wife was there so when I made the trip up there, there would be no problems.”
This is not Peckham’s first project car. He has more than 10 cars that range from a 1932 convertible to a 1957 Thunderbird that he keeps in a garage that are titled and insured.
Another regular to the Saturday show is David Perkins, who is currently in the middle of building a Rat Rod. Perkins thinks that small car shows like this are a good idea and that everyone can enjoy.
“People come out to take a look at the cars and maybe get ideas for their own project,” Perkins said.
Perkins says that the car shows are also another way to network. People make connections and swap parts. They tell their stories about what worked for them and find alternate solutions to their car project problems.     
As far as problems with people getting rowdy or fights, Perkins said there are no incidents like that.
“Cops drive by, but that is about it,” Perkins said.
There are other local car shows that happen all over the city. In Alvin there is a car show that takes place on Saturday nights at the local Home Depot parking lot, and another one in League City organized by the Space City Cruisers that is membership-based and happens on Fridays at the League City Park.
So if you need a change from the normal weekend routine, in the middle of doing a project car or just a car lover in general, head up to the Target on FM 2094 on Saturday evening and check out the classics, retro and new cars.