12th Annual Highlands Motoring Festival

Written By: Steve Ham | Issue: 2019/03 - March | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

Highlands will host its 12th annual Highlands Motoring Festival on June 6-9.  More than 125 classic and special interest cars will roll into town for the festival’s five events spanning four days. Activities include two car shows, a guided driving tour, a parade on Main Street followed by a welcome party, and a Monte Carlo Night gala.

New in 2019 is a Friday evening event, the Parade on Main Street, and on Sunday morning, the High Octane on Main car show and social gathering.  Both events invite cars of any model and year and are open to the public without charge.  The Friday Parade on Main Street will be followed by a welcome party at the High Dive Tavern.  The Sunday gathering replaces last year’s successful Cars and Coffee with extended hours and a new name, High Octane on Main.  It’s a low-key social gathering geared around cars and enthusiasts. 

The Festival Committee continues to raise the quality of cars for its premiere Saturday event, Cars in the Park.  Classic Motorsports Magazine has bestowed its 2019 “Best Concours Event” award to HMF.  Based on a readership poll, HMF beat-out much larger and more established cars shows and concours events nationally.  This year’s Cars in the Park will display over 100 classic cars, a quarter of which are there by invitation from the Selection Committee, which strives to present a collection of cars that tell a story.  In 2019 the Featured Marque is “The Cars of Carroll Shelby 1964-67.” Over a dozen “Shelbys” will exemplify all the Cobras, Mustangs, and Tigers of that era. 

Dennis Gage will be attending all five events while filming an episode of his TV show, “My Classic Car,” which is in its 23rd season and viewed by tens of millions of households worldwide.  The TV show has evolved into a program that is about travel destinations as much as the car events being hosted. Mr. Gage is looking forward to his first visit to Highlands.  His wife Ellen has learned about Highlands and will be joining her husband’s business trip.  She discovered what makes HMF so unique – the Town of Highlands.

Visit HighlandsMotoringFestival.com for registration information.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, June 6

Monte Carlo Night at Highlands Falls Country Club, 6:00 to 10:00 P.M.

Friday, June 7

One Lap of the Mountains Driving Tour at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

 Welcome Parade and Party at  Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park/High Dive 5:30 to 8:00 P.M.

Saturday, June 8

  Cars in the Park Premiere Car Show at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

  Music in the Park at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.

Sunday, June 9

  High Octane on Main Car Show and Social Gathering at Wright Square, West Main Street, 8:00 A.M. to noon.