Mike McIntosh Memorial Truck & Car Show and Block Party

On Saturday, Sept. 12, the community is invited to NMC’s Aero Park Campus to celebrate a double milestone: the 20th Annual Mike McIntosh Memorial Truck & Car Show and Northwestern Michigan College’s 75th Anniversary Block Party.

A longtime September tradition at NMC’s Automotive Service Technology Building on Aero Park Drive, the car show honors the legacy of late NMC Automotive instructor Mike McIntosh, who retired in 2004 after 34 years of service. McIntosh organized the first car show for the Automotive Program in 2004, launching what has become a beloved annual community event.

This year’s expanded celebration will bring together students, alumni, local businesses and community members for a full day of classic cars, food trucks, music and family-friendly activities across the Aero Park Campus.

Event Highlights

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
• Time: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
  • Vehicle registration begins at 8 a.m. The registration fee to show is $20.
• Location: NMC Aero Park Campus, 2510 Aero Park Drive
• Cost: Free and open to the public — rain or shine!

Owners are invited to enter their classic cars, trucks, 4X4s, dragsters, sports cars, modified late models, motorcycles and more. The entry fee is $20 per vehicle, and trophies will be awarded to best of show at the end of the event.

More than just a car show, the 75th Anniversary Block Party celebrates NMC’s longstanding connection to the community and the hands-on programs that prepare students for careers across northern Michigan and beyond. Guests are encouraged to explore NMC’s Aero Park facilities including:

• Aero Park Laboratories — home to Construction Technology, Renewable Energy and Welding Technology programs,
• Parsons-Stulen Building — home to Aviation, Engineering Technology, the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute, Manufacturing Technology, Surveying, Uncrewed Aerial Systems and more.

Visitors can also enjoy a silent auction, scavenger hunt, hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations, games and prizes throughout the day.

1st Annual Mike McIntosh Memorial Cruise

For the first time ever, the NMC automotive department is hosting a cruise night for car show entrants in conjunction with the Mike McIntosh Memorial Car and Truck show. This event will be held Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m., the night before the show. The cruise will leave the Automotive Service Technology Building at 2510 Aero Park Drive and head out for a short jaunt partway up Old Mission Peninsula. On the way, we'll pass through the Front Street Campus on College Drive. We'll end at NMC's Great Lakes Campus, where Morganja Farms’ food truck will provide food and beverages.

The Great Lakes Campus is where NMC's automotive program was originally located and where Mike McIntosh spent most of his career. The cruise will be led by Mike’s son Kevin in a 1957 BMW Iseta which Mike owned but never restored to show quality. His son has since restored it, and it will finally enter the show.

Before we leave, a hot air lantern will be floated in the sky in Mike’s memory. The cruise will support Project Feed The Kids, and all cruisers will receive a “1st Annual Mike McIntosh Memorial Cruise” commemorative dash plaque.

See a photo gallery from a past show.

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Help sponsor the 2026 Truck & Car Show