The Newtown High School parking lot was swarming with police officers and people as exotic cars and Newtown elementary school students and their parents lined up for the Newtown Car Show and first Kindness Dream Ride on Saturday, June 20.

The first Newtown Car Show was organized five years ago by Rich Marcuccio, the store manager at the Newtown Stop & Shop. The event was started as a way to raise money for the FAITH Food Pantry. Two years ago, Chris Sferruzzo became a co-organizer and the event has grown in the past years, according to Mr Sferruzzo.

“It’s so big now,” said Mr Sferruzzo. “Initially it was just to benefit the Newtown Food Pantry. But now we have pallets of food being delivered to food pantries in Beacon Falls, Monroe, and Oxford as well as Newtown Social Services and the FAITH Food Pantry.”

Despite the rain and the scaled-back schedule, Mr Sferruzzo estimates that more than $40,000 in food and donations was raised.

Though the Car Show is in its fifth year, this year marked the first Kindness Dream Ride, which Mr Sferruzzo said is a celebration for the kids and a way to incorporate more community involvement.

The Kindness Dream Ride is a program that allows students from local elementary schools to be rewarded for kindness in school. Students from the various Newtown elementary schools were nominated by the staff members at each school based on their acts of kindness, according to one of the event volunteers, Christina Datin. Students that were chosen were allowed to ride in one of the cars parading through town.

Mr Sferruzzo estimated that there were more than 100 kids in attendance, with over 80 of them being from Newtown.

“It’s all about taking care of kids and making sure there’s kindness in the world,” said Larry Caplin, one of the drivers participating in the event. “This is a fantastic event where people are actually coming out to give to each other. The Food Pantry is going to get supported, a bunch of really philanthropic car people are involved, just an overall great event.”

“This is my first time getting to know cars,” said Sara Primus, a third grader at Hawley Elementary School, one of the students selected to participate in the Dream Ride, adding she thinks she might stick with it.

While waiting for the cars to arrive at their final destination, car show attendees wandered the Stop & Shop parking lot on Main Street, snapping photos and observing the cars already on display. Pink bins had been placed in front of many of the cars, encouraging viewers to fill the bins with donated food.

After their drive through Newtown, including the length of Church Hill Road to Main Street, the cars from the Kindness Dream Ride began to roll into the parking lot and make their way around the lot. The drivers of the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, and many more announced their arrivals by honking, revving, or simply waving to the crowds of people lining the route.

Spectators waved back. Parents photographed or videotaped their children riding in the luxury cars.

One of the most recognizable cars in the parade was a Pagani Huayra with a license plate saying simply “THE KING.” As the Pagani entered the parking lot, people in the crowd could be heard whispering to each other, “It’s the King!”

Roger Beit is the owner of the Pagani Huayra, a rare Italian car.

“There was only a hundred made and only about 35 in the states,” said Mr Beit.

Mr Beit’s son, Jeff, 18, was also driving in the event and said about his father’s Pagani: “It’s an absolutely amazing and impressive car. It took forever for us to figure out how we wanted it to look, but it is a car that has no bad angles and it is pretty much the pinnacle of the car world; it is the top.”

Another recognizable car in the Kindness Dream Ride was a Lamborghini Aventador with a license plate reading “WINNING.”

“This car has been in over $4 million worth of charity events,” said Bryan Salamone, the owner of the Lamborghini, which is the world’s most famous Lamborghini Aventador, according to Mr Salamone.

“The fact that the showmanship and beauty of this car and its fame is able to garner charity dollars for good causes is just a bonus,” said Mr Salamone.

Ella Grace Renak, a rising third grader at Middle Gate Elementary School, said she was “super excited” to be riding in Mr Salamone’s car for the Kindness Dream Ride.

After their turn in the parade, each driver circled their car around to a VIP section of the parking lot where crowds waited to photograph and admire the rides. Drivers waited with their cars, answering questions, or wandered the lot to see the other cars on show.

As the cars from the Kindness Dream Ride arrived, the parking lot at Stop & Shop filled up quickly with attendees, volunteers, drivers, owners, and of course, cars.

Aaron Maltz, the owner of a blue 2008 Dodge Viper, said that his car puts a smile on his face, and that was something he wanted to be able to do for the kids as well.

Many of the drivers shared similar feelings.

“This is a great event,” said Josh Lewis, owner of a red 1997 Dodge Viper GTS that he drove in the parade. “This is really important for a lot of us, so to come out and do something for the kids is great. It’s something really positive.”