The third time proved to be the charm for the #GaryStrong car cruise in Bethel Park.

In October, owners of classic and performance vehicles gathered to honor enthusiast Gary Carmen, a 1980 Bethel Park High School graduate.

“The first car show, the weather was really cold,” Sandy Jansante, his sister said, and the result was a relatively quiet turnout. “But we said we would continue it in his name.”

Carmen died Nov. 22 at age 61 following a fourth bout with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer he had been battling for four decades. And so the next event was renamed the #GaryStrong Memorial Car Cruise and scheduled for June 29.

Because of unfavorable weather forecasts, the cruise was postponed until the following Saturday, when more than 300 vehicles packed the back parking lot of AHN’s Bethel Park Health + Wellness Pavilion.

“It’s wonderful. You couldn’t ask for a better turnout,” Jansante said as she surveyed the day’s proceedings.

She works at Highpoint Fitness, located inside the pavilion. John Carberry, a Highpoint co-owner, was instrumental in making arrangements for the event, along with Jim Gastgeb, longtime organizer of the annual Rev ’Em Up for Kids cruise to benefit recreational opportunities in Bethel Park.

“They were just phenomenal helping us get this all together,” Jansante acknowledged.

Proceeds from the fall and summer #GaryStrong gatherings, at Carmen’s request, raised money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which provides free care for young cancer patients. The total from the July 6 event was $10,073.

“It was near and dear to his heart,” his sister said.

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