With record attendance and near-record profits, the 18th Annual Return to Renton Benefit Car Show And Cruise last Sunday (July 6) was a resounding success.

About 4,500 people packed downtown’s streets to admire the 400-some vehicles. Attendance was double what it was last year, and the number of vehicles was up 25 percent.

Although this year’s downtown location made expenses higher, the show still brought in about the same amount of money as last year, which is about $17,000. All of that money will go to Renton Police Department Youth Programs.

This was the first year Return to Renton was held in the streets of downtown. Last year the show was at Renton Memorial Stadium. But Return to Renton co-chair Jim Medzegian is sure it won’t be the last. He hopes to expand the show next year to more of downtown.

He says he received e-mails from life-long Renton residents who said they had never seen that many people downtown.

“It was wonderful. It brought total life to downtown Renton,” Medzegian says of the show.