Submitted Photo Mary Jelsing, left, holds a photo of her late husband, Dwight Jelsing, and stands next to her nephew, Bryan Saba, right, who won the People’s Choice Award at the 2022 Dwight Jelsing Memorial Car Show.

On Sunday, July 21st, the community will come together to honor the late Dwight Jelsing, a beloved member of the community. The Rugby Car Club and Jelsing’s daughters will host the 5th Annual Dwight Jelsing Memorial Car Show at Ellery Park.

“He loved his cars and he loved that it brought people together,” said Christy Jelsing, daughter of the guest of honor.

Christy Jelsing said her father was an avid car enthusiast his entire life, just like his father before him. Dwight Jelsing had a long career in the auto industry, holding many positions at MJ McGuire, from selling cars to managing the parts department. After retiring, Christy Jelsing joked that he got bored after a few weeks of not working, so he took a job at Hardware Hank.

“People loved to go in and just visit him – we were told that at his funeral, and even before he passed, people said, ‘I just love stopping by the hardware store, whether I’m buying paint or picking up something for the hunt, it’s always so nice to be with your dad.’ He really made some good connections,” she said.

She said that if there was ever an angry customer in the hardware store, the owners would send Dwight Jelsing to talk to them because he could always calm them down.

“He was just amazing to be around. He made everyone feel loved – without judgement. The community was out in full force at his funeral. … As sad as it is, it was just so good to see how loved he was and the community shows us that every year by coming here and remembering him at this car show. You don’t know you have that much of an impact on people until they’re gone,” she said.

When it started in 2020, the show only had a few cars competing, but last year the number grew to more than 50 cars from North Dakota and Canada.

The event is free to the public and all proceeds will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization that raises money for children’s hospitals in the United States and Canada.

This year there will be live music from the band Open Road.

Christy Jelsing said the large turnout of people who came together to honor her father means a lot to her and she is grateful for the continued support for the event.