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Motoring On!
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: September - 2022
The Highlands Motoring Festival returns for a September encore with a trio of events. To register or for more information, visit highlandsmotoringfestival.com.
The Highlands Motoring Festival, resurgent after asmashing June celebration is staging a mini-festivalthis month for spectacular cars and the people wholove them.First up is the One Lap of the Mountains – Speciale, set forFriday, September 9, is a 115-mile round trip. It’s a shorterversion of the festival’s immensely popular One Lap of theMountains. Like the original, this event is a mountain drivingexperience beginning at the Highlands Community Center.Participants will travel the back roads with a rest stop, stoppingfor lunch, and then return by a different route to Highlands. Theround-trip mileage of the tour is around 115 miles and returnsto Highlands in time for shopping and enjoying the afternoon.Participants will also receive a Highlands Motoring Festivaldash plaque and two hats.Registration is required and cost is $180.On Saturday, September 10, it’s the second tour One Lap of theMountains – Classic. This round trip returns to its traditionalformat and will roll out from the Community Center on an ap-proximately 154-mile driving adventure. The carefully curatedroute will travel the area’s winding mountain roads, stoppingfor lunch (where the participants are on their own to order froma diverse menu), before returning to Highlands via a differentroute. Participants will also receive a Highlands MotoringFestival dash plaque and two hats.Registration is required and cost is $180.On Sunday, September 11, the festival will stage the HighOctane Casual Car Show at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.It’sopen to all carsandfree to participants. The open format allows cars to come and go at their convenience. This willbe a fun event with a focus on car owners and visitorssharing their mutual interest in cars. Coffee and donutswill be available with donations accepted.The result of this year’s June festival is that morethan 2,500 people attended and participated infestival activities.“The biggest surprise of the June festival was the turn outfor the Friday night parade,” noted Ham. “Well over 100cars showed up for the parade. Further, Main Street wascrowded with on lookers to watch classic cars parade.”The Literacy and Learning Center, REACH of MaconCounty, and the Community Care Clinic of Highlands andCashiers are the recipients of funds raised through HMF,which is an all-volunteer effort each year.
by Deena Bouknight
