Jon Greifenberger, an arborist, stood at the base of his bucket truck -- the tallest vehicle, by several stories, at the Spring Dust-Off Car Show in Point Lookout -- and explained that this was his first time showing the rig at this type of venue.

"People are always asking me how tall the bucket is," he said of the 75-foot unit. The owner of Valley Tree, Inc. in Long Beach had hung an antique chainsaw from the bucket when the show kicked off on Sunday morning, but the event's organizers eventually asked him to take it down.

"They said it looks unsafe," he said with a shrug.

Around him, more than a thousand vehicles -- from classic to hot rods, customs resembling Hot Wheels toys and even a back hoe -- were arrayed in a vast display of Americana across an oceanside parking lot.

The event, hosted by the Town of Hempstead, featured celebrity guests from reality TV like Joe Martin ("Iron Resurrection"), Richard Rawlings ("Fast N' Loud"), Dave Kindig ("Bitchin' Rides") and Chip Foose ("Overhaulin'").

But it also was a chance for local hobbyists to show off their beautiful -- and quirky -- rides.

Not far from the bucket truck, Joe Collazo, an electrician from Queens, stood next to his '78 Malibu stationwagon hopper low-rider, which sat askew with the right-front wheel about 60 inches off the ground. Inside were a ceiling chandelier, swivel seats and a Puerto Rican flag.

"It's LA culture," he said of low-riders and their historic role in Los Angeles. "And you know, we do the same thing here ... It's not meant to be a perfect car. It's meant to be driven and hopped, and have a good time."

There were plenty of muscle cars, but also less powerful vehicles.

Spectators marveled at a turquoise "Super Bugger" -- a 46-horsepower Volkswagen Beetle retrofitted as a camper van, complete with a kitchenette, dinner table and bed.

The owner, Joe Lodato of Merrick, said he uses it to camp outside the Bethpage State Park golf course on Saturday nights.

"The first hour of the day is for walk ups," he explained. "So anybody who sleeps in their car gets the first hour of tee times."

While a 1967 Chevelle SS 396 won best-in-show prize, Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin gave a "Supervisor's Choice" award to Frank Perciballi and his son James, of Elmont, for their fire-engine red 1940 Chevy half-ton pickup.

Frank said he purchased the vehicle in 1981, then spent years restoring it with his son, daughter, wife and nieces -- using parts scavenged from another truck.

"We did all the work ourselves. We painted in the driveway -- it was a family thing," Frank said. "All the kids that worked on it signed underneath the truck."

James, who works in financial planning, said he's beginning to restore a '66 Pontiac GTO that his grandparents once drove.

"This is what got me into cars," he said of the Chevy half-ton he fixed up with his dad. "Now I'm addicted."