PORT GAMBLE — As vintage muscle cars and classic rides roll into Port Gamble Sunday, about a dozen children will be excitedly making preparations to pick the best of them.

Their decisions won’t necessarily be based on the bodywork, or how rare the cars are, but rather will be fairly arbitrary. If they like the paint job, the engine or the shiny chrome, they can vote for a vehicle.

In return, the car owners at the the Early Irons Car Show will donate entry fees and money raised through a silent auction to ensure the children in question have plenty of wholesome after school programs to keep them occupied.

“It depends on how many cars show up,” said Early Irons Event Chairman Peggy Orbea of how much money will be raised. Last year’s show brought in about $5,000 that helped fund the North Kitsap Boys & Girls Club. “We’re hoping we’ll earn that and more. We’d like to double that amount this year.”

The car show is the primary fund raiser for NKBGC, and keeps its numerous programs running for the children enrolled.

“It helps keep the membership fees low, we only charge $20 for the entire year,” said NKBGC Program Director Fabienne Jorgensen-Finch. “Everything else is covered — from supplies to horseback riding lessons. We like to make these activities affordable for kids who might not be able to participate otherwise.”

The Early Irons Car Club started donating proceeds from the show to the NKBGC last year, said 2005 event chairman Conni Smith. Before that, funds were given to several different charities.

“The car show normally didn’t donated to a specific charity,” Smith said, adding that after a while she and other Early Irons members started looking at where the money they were giving was actually going. It wasn’t staying local, so they decided a change was in order. “Last year, we decided we wanted to keep the money in the community.”

Keeping with this idea, the 10 children involved in the NKBGC last year awarded trophies to their favorite cars, Orbea said, adding that the crowd loved that added touch.

“The kids picked out the car they liked best, not based on expertise or best paint job,” Smith said. “They picked the cars based on their favorite colors, or the shape of the car. A lot of cars won trophies that don’t usually get them.”

With the desire to bring in more money for the local group, Orbea said new offerings this year include a silent auction as well as raffle items.

At the event, the Kingston Kiwanis is also drawing the winning ticket for a 1966 Mustang its members have been selling raffle tickets for all summer.

“The kids are so excited,” Jorgensen-Finch said. “They’ve been helping to sell tickets all summer, and they finally get to see who will win the car.”