Nice Wheels

Cars from the Great Depression to today cruise Lake George every fall

Story and photos by Josh Schermerhorn

The pedal hits the floor, and the back tires light up the pavement, hurling clouds of smoke out from behind them.  The 427-cubic-inch, eight-cylinder four-speed engine revs to its max, but there’s no letting up.  The tires bite the road, sending the car flying forward past the wall-to-wall spectators along the street.  The driver lets up after a couple seconds and slows down.  After all, this is no drag strip; it’s a car show.

Every September in Lake George, NY, America’s rich automobile history is put on full display at the Adirondack Nationals Car Show.  The weekend-long event brings cars from across the country to show off their elegant style, classic appeal, or raw power under the hood. 

Even though you may catch a car showing off his Big Block under the hood every now and then, it is actually not the norm.  Adirondack Nationals strictly prohibits any speeding, fast accelerating, or burn-outs.  It does not prohibit making noise, however.

"We make sure every year that we’re going to make a point of coming to the show.”

The show, entering its twenty-first season, features classic cars from many different time periods.  Behind Fort William Henry and the Fort William Henry Hotel, as well as along the shore of the lake, thousands of participants park their cars and show them off. 

Walking through the lots is like taking a stroll through a time machine.  In one lot you might find the hot rod lovers of the 1930s and 40s, like 59-year-old Rick Smith.  Smith, the owner of a 1932 Ford Roadster, has been coming to the show for over 10 years.

“This show is awesome,” says Smith as he sits behind his Roadster.  “I love the area and the people who come here.  It’s a lot of fun.”

Though he owns a car from the 30s, Smith enjoys seeing other time periods at the show as well.

“I love the 60s muscle cars.  It puts me right in high school.  I love it all.”

Right around the corner, 64-year-old Diana Hill cleans out her orange and white 1958 Chevy Impala.  Hill, a 12-year veteran from Pine Plains, NY, loves every minute of it.

“I’m not a car expert,” she says with a laugh, “but I love the lake, and I love coming to the show.  The cruising is always a fun time.  We make sure every year that we’re going to make a point of coming to the show.”

Though it sounds like a show about cool-looking cars, the event is more of a family matter than anything.  Hosted by Adirondack Nationals, the show starts Thursday night with a welcoming party for all entries into the show.  Throughout the weekend, the cars can park on the lawns and parking lots behind the Hotel, allowing spectators to check out any car they want.  Everything is out for show and will be judged later in the weekend for prizes, so many hoods and doors are popped, flaunting the engines and stylish interiors that made many of these cars famous.

The annual event brings a final seasonal push into the village, and becomes a spectacle for the business employees.  Jayme Price, a 23-year-old local, has worked in the village for five car shows. 

“I would much rather be looking at the cars,” she says.  “However, I hear them just fine.  Plus, talking to the owners of these sweet cars is always a lot of fun.”

The main attraction, however, is not when the cars are sitting still, but when they take over the town on Friday and Saturday night. The Cruisin’ section of the show lets any registered car cruise up and down a closed-off path in the middle of Lake George village.
The streets provide people like Dave Sommers, a 50-year-old Queensbury, NY, native and multiple classic-car owner, a chance for a different experience. 

“I’ve been coming to the show for nearly 20 years,” says Sommers as he stands next to his 1957 Chevy, one of two cars he has at the show.  “I like finding a nice parking spot on the side of the road at four in the morning instead of going into the lots, though.  It’s a great show, and different when you’re out on the street with all the cars driving by.”

“I’ve been coming to the show for nearly 20 years.”

People line the streets a little before 7pm, and the anticipation builds with constant talks of their favorite engine or paint job they’ve seen throughout the day.  At the 2009 show, the air was damp and cool, giving a mystifying atmosphere.  The streets, though packed in a near unmovable fashion, are silent. 

Then, the cars are sent out of the show lots, and the crowds get loud and excited.  The cool air is heated up by the roaring of the engines driving by.  Anything can be seen in the cruise, from a rare, authentic Shelby Cobra to an old Chevy pick-up with crash-test-dummies waving to the crowds in the back.  Even in a classic car show, the exotic muscle cars of the present make appearances, like the 2006 Ford GT, or a Dodge Viper.  The flashbulbs rarely stop lighting the dampened streets, and it does not get any quieter until 10pm when the cruise ends.

The cars in the cruise show off what they’ve got under the hood.  In one row may be two family sedans cruising by in elegant fashion, but behind them may be a 1969 Pontiac GTO deafening the crowds in full-throttle revs next to his 1969 Chevy Camaro counter-part, who cannot back down from the challenge.      

The automobile has been a fixture in the 20th and 21st century of American history, and the Adirondack National Car Show is one of the premiere displays of what the car is all about.  It shows the oldest, classiest, and most powerful cars ever made in standstill and quiet, as well as moving and very, very loud.  The show brings out families of all generations, and if enough time is spent in this show, every generation will find their car.

What's your favorite classic car?