There’s a lot to look forward to at Mercer Island’s Summer Celebration, from the community parade to fireworks at Luther Burbank. But one of the beloved events by Islanders young and old will be taking place during the downtown festival: the Mercer Island Car Show.

The 14th annual show, organized by Island resident and volunteer Tom Alberts, will be held Sunday in the Farmers Insurance parking lot.

“I recruit a bunch of local gear heads and with the city’s help, we put together the [show],” Alberts said.

One of those “gear heads” is Terry Deeny. Deeny has lived on Mercer Island for 44 years and participated in its car show, part of the annual Summer Celebration, since its inception.

“If you’re a car guy, you’re a car guy,” Deeny said. “Something about cars has always appealed to me, since I was a little kid. And I love to see other peoples’ cars and I love to talk about cars.”

Deeny said his first car, at age 15, was a 1933 Chevrolet three-window coupe. He worked on it for a year, salvaging a “new” engine from the junkyard. The experience hooked him, he said.

Deeny, who uses a Tesla as his “daily driver,” will bring a 1934 Ford Roadster to the show, a hot rod that he said has “the most beautiful grill in the world.” The 30s were an “incredible era” for car design, he said, and the 50s and 60s were also a “special time.”

“You could distinguish a Ford from a Chevrolet from a Chrysler product from 200 yards away,” he said. “Today you can’t tell one car from the other. They all look alike. They have no imagination.”

He said he has a four-car garage, and told his wife he would stop buying cars when the garage was full, or at least sell a car before he buys a new one. He’s currently on the hunt for a 1970 Chevelle LS6, fathom blue with an ivory interior and a Rock Crusher transmission.

“I’ve had lots of cars in my life, and I’ve enjoyed every one of them,” he said, from Corvettes and Mercedes Benz models — old and new — to Maseratis and the first DeLorean in the state of Washington.

He said he enjoys the laid back nature of the Mercer Island Car Show, which isn’t judged, and the curiosity of the spectators.

“I get a real kick out of having little kids sit in my cars and take pictures,” he said.

Farmers Insurance provides the Car Show team with two levels of its parking lot, which provides a great place to park and display the cars, Alberts said.

“The show has been successful in attracting an eclectic mix of street rods, muscle cars, classics (European and American), exotics, sport, projects and the unusual. It also attracts a lot of spectators,” Alberts said. “For the second year, we will have a drive called ‘One Loop,’ which is one loop drive around the Island before the Car Show.”

Those wishing to participate in “Cruise the Loop” can meet at the Mercer Island Park and Ride (8000 N. Mercer Way) to depart at 8:15 a.m. and drive to the show.

See www.mercergov.org/Page.asp?NavID=2464 for more on the Car Show, which begins at 10 a.m. Sunday. Acknowledgements start at 3 p.m.