ELKINS — Mountain State Street Machines announced this week that the 2026 Auto Extravaganza set for the Fourth of July weekend will mark the car show’s return to Elkins City Park.

The last Auto Extravaganza in the City Park took place during the summer of  2016. Since then, the event has been presented on the streets of downtown Elkins. With an overwhelming turnout the last several years, the car show has not only featured cars on Randolph Avenue and Third Street, but a portion of Davis Avenue, as well.

“The MSSM is happy to announce that after many meetings and discussion over several years, our Fourth of July Auto Extravaganza will be back in the Elkins City Park for 2026,” a Mountain State Street Machines social media post reads. “A big thank you to our Mayor Jerry Marco, the members of City Council, Elkins Parks and Recreation, and others who were instrumental in bringing this tradition back.”

Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco told The Inter-Mountain Friday that he was proud of what the Car Show brings to Elkins each year, and is happy wherever organizers decide to have it.

“To be honest, I really don’t have a preference either way, if they have it downtown or in the City Park,” Marco said. “At the end of the day I’m going to trust the volunteers that put this together and have for years.

“I have been approached by a lot of people who have points from both sides about having it downtown or having it in the park. But at the end of the day I have to trust the volunteers that have done this for years. The Car Show is a tremendous asset to our community and you’re never going to make everybody happy and we understand that, but this is just proof, with a little communication and negotiation, you can really talk things out and do what’s best for everyone.”

Pricilla Gay, a volunteer and organizer with Our Town, said the Car Show’s move to the City Park won’t affect plans for this summer’s Fourth of July Concert and Fireworks display.

“We are still going to have our concert and fireworks downtown at the Rotary Amphitheater stage,” Gay told The Inter-Mountain Friday. “Right now, we are attempting to find some additional activities to fill up the space where the cars used to be in Elkins Town Square. This year is a big year because it’s the 250th birthday of America. So we would like to have a big, happy celebration with a bunch of stuff for people to do.”

For the past several years, the Mountain State Street Machines has worked in conjunction with Our Town Inc. to combine the annual Car Show with a Fireworks Display and Concert in Elkins Town Square. This past year, Citizens Promoting Community added Elkins’ first-ever Fourth of July Parade to the list of holiday weekend activities.