Organizers moved the Ninth Annual ECW AutoFest from Saturday to Sunday afternoon at Waltrip Williamsburg Executive Airport. The show will run from 1 to 4 p.m., a scaled-back window from the originally planned 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. schedule.
The rescheduling was confirmed on Instagram
this month; organizers said the forecast for Sunday looked wonderful. According to
Williamsburg Families
Williamsburg Families, the show still welcomes all makes and models of vehicles and will offer trophies, raffle prizes, vendors, food trucks, and free wine and beer tastings. Food options include the Old City BBQ food truck and Charly's Airport Restaurant.
A Dealership's Two Decades of Local Giving
The show is hosted by European Cars of Williamsburg, an independent sales and service dealership founded in 2003 by owner Konstantin “Gus” Fotiadis, a local automotive technician who emigrated from Athens, Greece to the Virginia Peninsula in 1972, according to European Cars of Williamsburg. Over the years, the dealership's charity car shows have raised more than $20,000 for local community organizations including the Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department, CHKD, Dream Catchers, and Heritage Humane Society, the dealership notes. This year's vehicle entry fee of $25 — spectator admission remains free, per the Car Club Council of Hampton Roads — helps fund the show's charitable giving.
This year's AutoFest fundraiser benefits the Joshua Chamberlain Project, Williamsburg Families reports. Joshua died from bacterial meningitis in 2022, according to the airport's Instagram post.
Why This Car Show, Specifically
Why This Car Show, Specifically The choice of beneficiary carries a personal connection: Joshua attended the ECW AutoFest every year and loved cars. Charity leaders have noted that working with the dealership serves as a reminder of community support, the organization says.
After Joshua's death, “Josh's Kindness Squad” performed weekly random acts of kindness. Joshua had been known around his elementary school for volunteering in the main office and helping fellow students, the outlet notes.
This year's AutoFest also doubles as the official kickoff for the Joshua Chamberlain Project's annual holiday drive, which collects blankets, toys, and holiday decorations for pediatric intensive care unit patients and their families at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk. The Peck family started the drive after receiving similar comfort items while spending Christmas 2022 at CHKD, the report states.
A Family-Built Airfield With Its Own History
The venue itself has a notable backstory. Waltrip Williamsburg Executive Airport, located at 100 Marclay Drive, was officially renamed on September 29, 2024, after operating for 54 years as Williamsburg Jamestown Airport, with the name change marked by a 54th-anniversary ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to Williamsburg Yorktown Daily.
The airfield's origins trace back to 1967, when Larry Waltrip convinced his parents to use construction bulldozers to carve a dirt runway out of 200 acres of clay off Lake Powell Road, according to Business View Magazine. It remains one of Virginia's few privately owned, publicly used general aviation airfields, with the Waltrip family continuing to own and manage it as a community facility, the magazine reports.
