Car Show returns to MATC’s Oak Creek Campus

Mark Feldmann, feldmam1@matc.edu

June 02, 2022

OAK CREEK – Cars of all shapes, sizes and speeds will converge on Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Oak Creek Campus for an event open to the public.

The MATC Campus Car Show will be held Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 6665 South Howell Avenue in Oak Creek. Admission for spectators is free and visitors should use the campus’s East Howell Avenue entrance.

It will be the college’s first in-person car show since 2019 – the last two were held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Steve Herro, associate dean/project manager of the MATCDrive program, which sponsors the car show.

Planning for more than 150 cars on display, Herro said, “We expect lots of awesome vehicles.” MATC’s PEAK NASCAR vehicle will be there and visitors can play pit crew with the car jacked up, he added.  

The car show will have music, food and prizes featuring unique, student-built trophies. A free drawing for diecast cars, tool boxes and a portable backyard fire box also will be held. 

Special guests at the show will be Aaron and Emily Reeves of YouTube’s “Flying Sparks Garage” series. The Reeves, a Texas couple, produce videos of them repairing and building cars, racing, taking road trips and tackling a wide range of do-it-yourself projects.

The car show helps raise money and community awareness of MATCDrive, which launched in July 2017. The aim of the program is to spotlight the family-supporting career opportunities that are possible in the transportation servicing sector throughout the Milwaukee area, Herro said.

MATCDrive provides strong career and academic support for students learning about automotive technology, automotive maintenance, automotive finish repair, and diesel and powertrain servicing.  

“We bring employers into our programs to interact with our students in an environment the students are comfortable with, and both students and employers can benefit from the understanding and relationships,” Herro explained. 

“Our partnerships and fundraising have allowed us to promote careers in new ways,” Herro added. “One hundred percent of our students who want a job land a job in our local market. We are helping to change the image of transportation servicing jobs in southeast Wisconsin.”

For information about the show, go to www.matccarshow.com.

Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 25,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 170 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.