Some 500 vintage cars are expected to roll into downtown Kirkland at the end of July and genre heavyweight Larry Hanson will be on hand to host the Kirkland Classic Car Show. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 31.

The addition of Hanson would be a big deal for any show but it is especially important for the Kirkland Downtown Association (KDA) and Director Barbie Collins Young, as this is the first time that the KDA will be presenting the show without longtime partners the Legends Car Club (LCC).

The two organizations are on good terms, Young said, but KDA officials said they felt comfortable running it on their own with Hanson at the helm this year. Young also said that LCC runs many other car shows.

“We figured we could handle it from here on out,” she said. “We got this.”

The event will be emcee’d by Lance Lambert, whose show “The Vintage Vehicle Show” can be seen on stations across the nation and internationally.

Of all the events the KDA produces, the Kirkland Classic Car Show has the biggest footprint, lining downtown streets with classic vehicles of all makes and models.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” she said. “It should be really eclectic and interesting.”

Young said there will even be music in the park the day before to get residents revved up for the show.

As for Hanson, he has been putting on car shows for more than 60 years and said when he was first approached to organize Kirkland’s he turned it down. But after he saw what Kirkland has to offer as a city and the initial plans, he said he decided to work with the Association, despite living in Gig Harbor.

Aside from the cars, Hanson said Kirkland has a lot of options for people to check out during the event.

“There’s just a lot of cars to look at and of course Kirkland has a lot of places to eat,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot for people to do.”

Classic car and motorcycle owners can preregister for the event online at www.kirklandclassiccarshow.org for $20, or the day of the show for an additional $5.