“Is this the end of the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival?” asks The Lakeland Ledger as it reports that the festival has lost its sponsor, the MidFlorida Credit Union, which has managed the show since 2017, when it took over from founder Ford Heacock.
“Unfortunately,” credit union executive vice president of commercial lending David Hand is quoted by the newspaper, “I just think it had run its course for us.”
The most recent Lake Mirror festival was scheduled for October 2020 but was canceled in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which Hand called the “final straw.”
“A lot of people think it’s a money maker, which it’s not. I mean, it’s a huge expense,” Hand said. “If somebody takes it over, they’re going to need the horsepower of some sort of entity to make it work.”
The show was held on the promenade along Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland and included the Lake Mirror concours and the MidFlorida auto show.
Forest Grove salutes British Motoring
The Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance, scheduled for July 18 on the campus of Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, has announced the theme for its 48th showcase, a celebration of British automotive elegance, featuring the 60th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type, Triumph TR4 and MG Midget. The concours is presented by the Rotary Club of Forest Grove.
C3 Vette Registry joins Corvettes at Carlisle
Carlisle Events has announced that the C3 Vette Registry will sponsor the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1971 C3 Chevrolet Corvette August 26-28 at the 40th Corvettes at Carlisle car show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The anniversary showcase will feature 20 of “the best from 1971,” Carlisle Events notes in its announcement, with additional 1971 models showcased on the Fun Field.
NASCAR cancels California race date
The NASCAR racing weekend scheduled for February 27-28 at Auto Club Speedway in Southern California has been canceled. Instead, NASCAR will put vehicles from all three of its major national series on the road course at Daytona International Speedway for a tripleheader event February 19-21, the weekend between the Daytona 500 on February 14 and the NASCAR racing weekend February 27-28 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Building out the 2021 concours, car show calendar
Following are dates for a variety of concours d’elegance and car shows scheduled during 2021:
Darryl Starbird’s National Rod & Custom Show, Tulsa, Oklahoma, February 19-21
Amelia Island concours, Amelia Island, Florida, March 4-7
Forest Grove Concours, Oregon, July 18
Pebble Beach Concours, Monterey, California, August 15
Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 15-17
