Photo by Denise Ritchie

Vibrantly colored sports cars dotted the landscape of McKee Botanical Garden last Saturday during the 10th annual Motorcar Exhibition featuring the Corvette, ‘America’s Sports Car.’

A total of 42 cars, 20 of them owned by local residents and all of them lovingly maintained by their owners, spanned the decades from 1953 to 2019. Technical terms were interspersed with oohs and ahhs as upwards of 3,000 car enthusiasts wandered about for a glimpse of the beauties and chatted with their owners.

“We have a car from each of the first 20 years of production; so from 1953 to 1973,” said Christine Hobart, McKee executive director. “We think it’s the first show that they’ve all been represented in one place. And we think that’s very cool. We also have the Hallstrom car, the Corvette that she used to deliver eggs in.”

Hobart was referencing the 1962 white Corvette formerly owned by Ruth Hallstrom. The daughter of Vero pioneer Axel Hallstrom, Ruth was known for her lead foot as she sped about town in her treasured sports car.

When asked when he was bitten by the Corvette bug, Dr. Rob Callery explained, “My father worked for General Motors for 43 years. I built every model available of Corvettes growing up as a kid. Then I started playing with Hot Wheels, and the Corvettes were my favorite. I always loved Corvettes.”

The love carried over into adulthood as well. “I got my first one in ’92; it was an ’85 that I still have, and then the ’04 and now this one,” said Callery, standing beside his 2016 Grand Sport, the 12th Grand Sport in production. “It’s the best sports car you can buy for the money, bar none, as far as performance goes. And I prove it every month on a track.”

In addition to the motorcars nestled among the flora of the lush garden were the 20 sculptures of the Seward Johnson ‘Celebrating the Familiar’ exhibition. “I’m real,” called out a man to passersby, as he relaxed in a chair next to the lifelike sculpture ‘Quiet Please’ of a girl napping on the grass.

The Seward Johnson exhibit will be on display through April 28. For more information, visit mckeegarden.org.