DOWAGIAC —The tallies are in, and winners have been named in one of Dowagiac’s biggest summer events.

Dowagiac’s 28th annual Rod and Roll Classic Car Show swept through the city Saturday in a blaze of chrome. Now, after declaring the event a success, organizers have released a list of winners from the weekend event. Winners were chosen by peer ballots, as each registered car owner was able to cast a ballot for their top 20 cars. The ballots were later tallied to choose the winners.

Rob Richez, of Mishawaka, was named Best of Show for his 1947 Chevrolet pickup, and John Motycka was named Queen’s Choice winner for his 1961 Ford Starliner. Additionally, the winner of the Crunched Car Contest sponsored by Sustainable Recycling was Ryan Knapp who correctly guessed the baled car was a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu.

The top 20 finishers include:

• Diane and Bob Grice, of Three Rivers 

• Linda Fair, of Three Rivers

• Jonathon Runyon, of Dowagiac

• Barry Wishart, of Cassopolis

• Ric Stran, of Granger

• Billy Shafer, of Mishawaka

• Jackie and Barney Hiler, of Watervliet

• Barb Ameling, of Eau Claire

• Peter Beeke Jr., of Kalamazoo

• Virgil Callendar, of Benton Harbor

• Cliff Nelson, of Sodus

• Paul Schmitt, of Stevensville

• Steve Lutes, of Dowagiac

• Bruce Haefner, of Dowagiac

• Jim Rock, of Kalamazoo

• Paul Haughee, Jr., of South Bend

• Rolland Yeske, of Benton Harbor

• Dan Shepard, of Eaton Rapids

• Richard and Darlene Engel, of Berrien Springs

• Tim Haley, of Niles

The Rod and Roll Classic Auto Show is an annual event hosted by the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce in which people from all over southwest Michigan come to show their classic vehicles.

In total, this year’s Rod and Roll event had 210 registered cars participate, which is on average for most years, according to Kris Soenen, co-chair of the auto show.

Soenen said this year’s show was a success and some of the new elements to this year’s show were well received, such as the breakfast served by the Baker’s Rhapsody and the Touch a Truck event, which featured cars that children were able to climb on and play with.

“It was a really good day. The weather was conducive for people to come down and see all the classic cars,” she said. “It was a good day. We had a lot of visitors on the street.”

The chamber of commerce was pleased with the success of this year’s event, as it draws people to downtown Dowagiac, Soenen said.

“Like all chamber events, the Rod and Roll is a great draw to bring visitors down to enjoy our community and experience what we have to offer,” she said. “People also visit our retailers and merchants and our perimeter businesses. … We are glad that it went well.”