Cornell’s Used Auto Parts Car Show Raises Over $21K for Folds of Honor

The fourth annual Cornell’s Used Auto Parts Car Show in Greenfield Center, NY brought together roughly 100 registered cars and a crowd that filled the lot and lined the roads for nearly a mile on May 3, turning a sunny spring Saturday into the community’s biggest celebration yet.

By the time the food line slowed and the silent auction closed, the day had raised more than $21,000 for Folds of Honor — doubling last year’s total and well surpassing the show’s $15,000 goal. For owner Casey Cornell and general manager Mike Colvett, who spent months organizing the event and rallying its supporters, it was the clearest sign yet of how far the show has come.

A Banner Day in Greenfield Center

Every part of the day pointed to a community showing up in force. About 100 registered cars filled the grounds, 110 T-shirts found new owners, and a food line that, in Cornell’s words, “never stopped” kept the grills busy from open to close. The crowd spilled far beyond the lot — cars lined the road for roughly three-quarters of a mile, parked, as Cornell put it, “all the way down to the next road,” with visitors happily making the walk in to be part of it. Even the weather came around. “It looked like it was going to be bad in the morning, but it didn’t. It was a little cool, but the weather was good,” Cornell said.

This year’s growth came from a community that rallied on every front — and from months of groundwork ahead of the show. General manager Mike Colvett put in long hours organizing the event and reaching out to sponsors, and that effort paid off well before opening day. The silent auction had its strongest showing yet — it “did really well,” Cornell said — and sponsorship commitments were rolling in strong before the gates ever opened. “We had a ton of sponsorships, that people that were donating, like, $200 were donating thousands of dollars this year,” Cornell said, crediting the show’s growing reputation in its fourth year for inspiring businesses to step up in a bigger way. That support reached well beyond Saratoga County, with sponsors and volunteers traveling from as far as New Hampshire and Maine to lend a hand.

Every Dollar to the Cause

What makes the Cornell’s show special is where every dollar goes. The full amount raised is donated directly to Folds of Honor — not a cent is kept by the business. Rather than draw expenses from the fundraising total, Cornell’s absorbs the costs itself, purchasing and cooking all the food so that every sale at the event goes straight to the cause. This year, the generosity of others made that even easier, as more businesses donated the shirts, lanyards, and giveaway items that Cornell had previously paid for out of pocket.

For Cornell’s, the bond with Folds of Honor runs deeper than a single event. The company has supported the organization’s golf tournaments and private events for years, and the connection grew through people Cornell knows and trusts. He pointed to Sean from Tinney’s Tavern, who serves on the Folds of Honor board alongside Bill Miller of Performance Industrial, as the relationship that first opened the door. The more functions they attended, the more the mission resonated: “There’s good people involved, and it’s a good organization, so it’s something we wanted to back.” Folds of Honor New York provides educational scholarships to the families of fallen and disabled service members and first responders.

The Businesses Behind the Show

A day like this comes together because so many people lend their support, and this year’s roster of sponsors and donors stretched across the region. Cornell’s extends its thanks to:

• Belmonte & Son Tents and Events LLC
• Bend of the River
• Bradley’s Septic
• Brookhaven Golf Course
• Brown Brothers Auto Service
• BW Steel
• Camelot Print & Copy Center
• Cantina
• Cartier Construction
• Childs Automotive
• Clear Stream Campground
• Dave Armstrong
• Dax Powersports
• Farmer T
• Fierro’s
• Five Towers Media
• Frank & Sons
• GT Motors
• HD Concrete
• J&K Excavating
• KJ Barbershop
• Lia Nissan of Saratoga
• Mangino Chevrolet
• Mariah Jones – Shayna Goodson Team
• Novus
• Performance Industrial
• Piscataqua Landscaping
• Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop
• Saratoga Honda
• The Reef Store
• Tinney’s Tavern
• Tolpa’s Auto Parts
• Twin Leaf
• Twisted & Tyed

Looking Toward Year Five

With four shows behind him, Cornell is already looking ahead with optimism. Asked about next year, he set the bar high — “I don’t like layups, you know?” — floating a goal of $25,000 and then nudging it higher still. It’s a fitting ambition for an event that began as a modest 20-to-30-car employee gathering and has grown into one of the first major car shows of the region’s season. That early-season timing draws enthusiasts eager to kick off the year, and a loyal base of exhibitors returns show after show. Together, they’ve turned a lot full of classic cars in Greenfield Center into a dependable source of scholarships for military and first responder families.

Closing

As the dust settles on the fourth annual show, the throughline is gratitude — for the volunteers who show up before they’re even asked, the sponsors who keep raising their hands, and the families the money ultimately serves. “I keep saying every year, I don’t know how we’re gonna top it,” Cornell said, “but it seems like we do.” If the last four years are any indication, year five at 62 South Greenfield Road will find a way.