HULL —  The engines roared around noon Sunday for Hull’s first winter vehicle “Snow Show,” creating a new wave of excitement and energy. Snow mobiles circled, a woman passed by on skis and the smiling faces of strangers became new friends.

The event, hosted by the Hull Rotary and Craig Wolfe, was to benefit the Hull Life Savings Museum’s veterans programs. When the annual car show on Nantasket Avenue was canceled this summer, Wolfe said he didn’t see the upcoming winter months as an obstacle.

“I’ll have it in the … winter,” Wolfe said. “We’ll have snow queens.” 

And so he did. Jeeps, trucks and heavy machines lined up awaiting the prizes for the biggest, the baddest and the best, awarded to them by the snow queen, Ellie Destito of Hull, and her court, Bernadette Ridge of Hull and Diana Egan of Stoughton. 

“I said, ‘Anything with ‘queen,’ I’ll do it,'” Destito said.

She was among the 50 or so volunteers who helped put on the event. During his speech addressing attendees, Wolfe joked that the starting of the engines was his favorite part of the event. But, in the end, he said it was all about the veterans.

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Hingham Veterans Agent Keith Jermyn, who has been in the Navy for 28 years and plans to retire in June, was among those who won a “snow beast” trophy. He was awarded this for his green military Jeep. For his first car show, the turn out was greater than he imagined and the connection to veterans made the event closer to home. 

“I like to be around other veterans for the… shared experiences,” he said. 

Greg Brasso, co-host and creator of radio segment Veterans’ Voice, shared a similar sentiment about their broadcast and the event, touching on the community they foster. 

“You might touch one or two vets and let them know they’re not alone,” he said. 

Even those from out of town paid a visit to the Snow Show. Dominic Mongillo, a Martha’s Vineyard resident, brought his 19 Ram 2500 Power Wagon with him. He heard of the event through the Massachusetts Ram Club Association. 

After spending hours on end working on his truck for a road trip to Pennsylvania, he thought, ‘Why not come and enter the show?’  He won a trophy in “the beast” category. 

“It was kind of spur of the moment,” Mongillo said. “Life’s too short, you have a moment… you should take it.” 

The community attendees said they were glad the event went on, with some car show frequenters and some first timers. Among the attendees were Patricia Lambert and Kathy Mulvey, both of Hull. The couple heard of the Snow Show in the newspaper and thought it would be a great community event, they said.