Laurel Hill East sits atop a hillside overlooking the Schuylkill River, a resting place for the departed and a museum of headstones and monuments that mark their graves. The tranquil expanse of the historic cemetery caught the eye of the Mohnton Professional Car Club several years ago when members were looking for the perfect place to host a different kind of car show.
The vehicles to be showcased weren’t souped up sports cars or tricked out luxury rides. These cars were created with a special mission in mind, to lead the procession from church to graveyard with the dearly departed inside. Where else but a cemetery for an auto show with hearses in the spotlight?
On Saturday, Aug. 9, visitors will get a chance to view hearses manufactured from the 1940s to the 1990s, museum-quality restored vehicles and cars still in service at the Mohnton club’s 17th Annual Classic Hearse Show. The event at Laurel Hill Cemetery East in East Falls will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“A lot of people shrug [this] off as weird or morbid. But, when you get out and see everything, you get to experience time through these vehicles and the time that people have spent restoring these cars,” said Tyler Verrecchia, president of the Mohnton Professional Car Club.
The show celebrates an eclectic variety of makes and models rarely seen together. “Yeah, it’s all hearses but they’re all different. It’s neat,” said Verrecchia, who also described the event as a celebration of a car club community that has fostered long-lasting friendships.
It all started on MySpace
The show’s roots go back to funeral car enthusiast Shawn Koenig, who brought together a group of people drawn to the timeless allure and unique beauty of “professional cars” in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, a borough in Berks County. Professional cars are vehicles used in the funeral or death business and include hearses, ambulances, limousines, and “first call” cars that transport the deceased soon after death.
Born as a small social group, the Mohnton Professional Car Club quietly expanded “with the power of MySpace,” Koenig said. Hearses’ shadowy charm and niche appeal drew a cult following, attracting enthusiasts across the tri-state area. As their numbers grew, so did their desire to gather at a location that would resonate with the club’s distinct style.
The first hearse show was hosted at a drive-in restaurant in Berks County. For the next few years, the shows were at Berks-area public parks. For their fourth year, the car club hosted the hearse show at the cemetery and the location stuck.
Moving to Laurel Hill
The car club’s fascination with the cemetery and its history led to a 13-year ritual of 13 successful shows (with the exception of the 2020 show at a horse farm to adhere to safety regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic). “[They’ve] been super accommodating,” Verrecchia said of cemetery officials. “The show brings everybody together that has interest in this hobby. There’s a lot more people into it than a lot would expect. It’s cool to see what everybody does to their cars and the reactions they get from people. Even children love it.”
Turnout for the annual hearse show has climbed into the thousands in past years. The gathering has always been the object of judgment, but behind what some people describe as the event’s “morbidness” is a deep history and a celebration of life, death, and cars.
During the show, attendees get to participate in a “best of” vote — best stock car, best custom car, best daily driver. This year, along with voting, visitors can purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win a custom casket embellished by the car club. Proceeds from the raffle will be donated to Laurel Hill East.
The group’s leaders are hoping the show will help expand interest in this special subset of car clubs, increase membership, and grow what has become a tight-knit community. “Some of my very good friends now, I met through the club,” Verrecchia said, “And here we are years later.”
