The gears will soon be turning for the Apple Country Classic Auto Club’s biggest yearly event.
The Apple Classic Car Show will be held Saturday, Oct. 14, at Victory Christian Center, 208 Victory Circle. Registration will start at 8 a.m., and the car show, which is open to the public, will last till 3 p.m.
It may be a fun opportunity for gear heads to chat and compare vehicles, but the Apple Classic is also a fundraiser for the car club’s annual charitable donations. Last year, the club was able to distribute $10,000 among nine local nonprofits and community organizations.
Registration fees and food sales netted from the event account for a big chunk of those donations, confirmed Ronnie Prater, car club president. The registration fee for this year’s show is $25 per vehicle, and the car club will have plenty of breakfast and lunch food for sale during the event, he added.
“Every penny we take in, except for expenses, stays in Gilmer County and goes to charitable donations,” Prater said.
Prater said the club plans to present a total of 102 awards to car show participants. The awards will be presented beginning at 3 p.m.
“We’ll be giving awards to the top 70 1998 and older vehicles, the top five 1999 and newer vehicles and the top 25 people’s choice, as well as the Victory Christian Center pick and Chamber of Commerce pick. The first 100 cars to register will get a dash plaque,” said Prater. “We are an antique auto club and the north Georgia region of the Antique Automobile Club of America, but we allow any vehicles (to be shown) and welcome all cars and trucks. You can bring a brand-new one if you want to.”
The Apple Classic has long been a staple sister event to the Apple Festival. For years, it was held at River Park near the fairgrounds. With the growth of the festival attendance over time, it moved to other locations including Ronnie Thompson Ford.
This will be its third year at Victory Christian Center, which Prater said is an ideal location that can accommodate more than 300 show cars. This year, the additional space will also allow for the return of a car-related swap meet, which had previously been part of the Apple Classic.
“We’ve now got more room for spectator and truck and trailer parking, as well as the swap meet, which has been gone from the car show for several years. We’re happy to have it back this year,” Prater said. “We’ll have plenty of spectator parking and handicapped spectator parking, and someone with a golf cart will be shuttling the people who aren’t able to walk too far.”
The rain date for the car show is Saturday, Oct. 21, but hopefully the clear skies will hold out, noted Prater.
“It’s supposed to be pretty weather (on Oct. 14), at least that’s what we’re hoping for,” he added.