Jul 18, 2016 By Luke Campbell 3 min read

The identifiable slogan “We play anything” is a constant in Dave Disque’s garage.

Whether he is working on his 1958 Austin-Healey or his 1972 Triumph TR6, or you know, just constructing an entire 1965 AC Shelby Cobra replica, Bob FM is his radio station of choice.

Disque, who received the kit for the replica in August 2011, wasn’t building the car for show.

“The car that I made is not garage-clean,” he said. “I finished it in September of 2012 and make sure that I drive it.”

More than 10,000 miles, a 600-page manual and what Disque calculates to about 600 hours invested into working on the car later, he is putting his handmade Cobra and his two other classics on display at the 21st annual Mt. Lebanon Classic Car Show and Street Festival when it returns to Washington Road on July 31.

All of that effort on the replica, in conjunction with a 50-hour work week, made it even more worthwhile.

“The build was fun because I figured out so many different ways to do things that when I called the factory, they changed the manual after my suggestions,” recalled Disque.

The annual festival has been a mainstay for the former Mt. Lebanon School District employee, who attended since its inception in the high school parking lot after being started by former police Chief Frank Brown.

“We had a record-breaking attendance last year,” said Cpl. James Hughes, who has been at the Mt. Lebanon Police Department for 24 years and at the forefront of organizing this event for the past five. “It’s so interesting because we get such an eclectic mix of cars and don’t really know what’s coming. I’m a big car enthusiast, but the people are what make it interesting. You get an opportunity to know and meet people from the community, which is great.”

This year, the family-friendly event will feature live music from the Good Guys starting at noon in the main park, vendors and local businesses participating, restaurants on Washington Road and a “touch-a-truck” event sponsored by Mt. Lebanon Library, during which kids will have the opportunity to explore construction and public safety trucks.

Registration begins at 9 a.m., with Washington Road being shut down an hour prior. Judging of the cars will start at noon, and the awards ceremony will take place around 3.

Hughes said the event typically averages anywhere from 150 to 220 cars each year, but the number basically is at the mercy of the weather.

Despite the changes in location and the other amenities offered, one thing has remained constant: the love the owners have for their pride and joys.

“They (the cars) almost serve as a surrogate for the owners,” said Hughes. “The amount of work put into these vehicles and the love they have for them is almost unmatched.”