The Geneva Chamber of Commerce on Thursday rolled out the first of more than a half dozen car shows planned this summer that with take place in the rear parking lot of the Kane County Courthouse at 100 S. Third St.

Steve Aris of St. Charles has always had a love of vintage cars and dropped by the first car show in the series on Thursday.

“I have vintage cars including a ’66 Corvette and a ’69 Imperial and a ’69 Mercury. Even though I’m from England, there was too much American TV when I was growing up,” Aris said Thursday evening in Geneva.

The shows, which organizers said can draw more than 200 cars, will run every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. through the end of August.

Johanna Patterson, communications director for the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, said the summer shows “date back at least a decade” adding that “it’s a fun, informal way to share your classic cars.”

“There’s live music, there’s food provided for purchase and a chance to vote on your favorite classic car,” she said. “This is very popular because of the laid-back atmosphere. You don’t have to qualify to be in the show and it’s just a casual way to share what you’re working on with your car or what class of car you have. People will say, ‘I used to have that car in high school or my buddy always worked on that car.’ Again, it’s just fun.”

Aris said the passion for cars “was all about freedom.”

“It’s that and design and the smells of them, but for me, I think cars today are just as interesting,” he said.

Aris’ wife Tracy said she is also a car aficionado, saying that she “had a ’71 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia named Murphy.”

“I love cars because of the design and it’s nostalgic and I like to hear the stories that are behind the cars and who has passion for them,” she said. “There’s a whole parking lot of people here who showed up early so there’s others out there like me.”

Bryan Bransky of Geneva brought his own car – a 1969 SC Rambler – to the event that was painted red, white and blue.

“I’ve had that car for about four months but these are tough to get,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve had more than 50 cars. We grew up in the business and our dad was a collector and it rubbed off on us. I like to buy and sell and do moderate restorations. You just see something that you got a little itch for and you sell something and replace it with something else.

“There’s no cure for this disease. It’s just too much fun,” Bransky said. “When the weather turns nice and you can put the top down and roll down the windows and hear the rumble of the engine, it’s just a cool driving experience.”

Tammie Jarka of Geneva said she is definitely a car enthusiast.

“I love to see cars that remind me of when I was a little girl,” she said. “I remember when I was young my stepdad had a light-yellow GTO and then we had a turquoise Thunderbird, so I just look for things like that. Those are the cars I remember. They’re nostalgic. They were so cool looking then. Today, they look all alike.”

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.