Hot August Nights Kicks Off In Virginia City
Hot August Nights kicks off in Virginia City
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The kick-off to Hot August Nights starts in the old western town of Virginia City, Nevada. Virginia City is an old mining town; some would say ghost town. This event brings this high desert ghost town back to life when hundreds of classic cars and thousands of people come out for the two-day kick-off of the week-long Hot August Nights.
It's always a great time to come to Virginia City to start Hot August Nights, and this two-day event was no exception. As the sun rose early Friday morning, so did the owners of these classic cars, primarily from Nevada, but there were classic cars from other nearby states. Due to the small town, they need to cap the registration to about 400 vehicles.
Hot August Nights Virginia City
1956 Pontiac - Hot august Nights
Hot August Nights Virginia City
Virginia City is a unique place to have a classic car show with the old buildings and an old west atmosphere. Along with the old cars and the old buildings, you will see many walking around that look like they are right out of the 1800s. It's a perfect backdrop for the car show; it's a must-go event.
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The shops that line the main street through town are great. I always make sure to check out Virginia City Mercantile; with the old gas pump and signs outside, you can't miss this one. It draws you in to see what's inside.
One of the classic trucks that caught my attention was a 1950 GMC Truck with The Virginia City Vault painted on the doors. The Virginia City Vault is one of the many shops on S. "C" St.
Along with all the shops, there are plenty of places to grab a bite to eat or a cold one like Red Dog Saloon, Firehouse BBQ, and Silver Dollar Saloon.
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Another must-see for me while in the area is the old cemetery just up the hill in Virginia City. They say this is one of the most haunted areas in the US, I haven't run across any ghosts while visiting the cemetery, but I wouldn't want to be there at night. Reading the tombstones from the 1800s and early 1900s, you get a sense that it was a hard life in this area back in the early days.
Check out the blog post with many photos on my last visit to the Virginia City cemeteries in 2018. It's such a fascinating place. Virginia City Cemeteries
Virginia City Cemeteries, the tomb stones tells a story of the rough times in Virginia City in the 1800’s
Virginia City is way up in the high desert. It's about a 30 min drive from Carson City and about 40 minutes from Reno. There is lots of history in and around the old mining town. As you drive up there, you'll see remnants of the old mines and buildings and caution horse crossings signs throughout the area. Seeing these majestic animals roaming can be rather exciting for us living in California. So keep your eyes on the lookout for them as you drive up.
The cars looked great; quite a few were not at the last event. One of the most unique builds that I saw was a 1952 Chevy truck; the outside of the truck was painted to look like old copper. It was really done well; the truck also had metal artwork on the door with an old fire extinguisher mounted on the side.
The interior had a custom door and window handle made out of old tools, copper floors, and a turntable mounted on the inside. But it wasn't until you opened the hood and didn't see anything that resembled an engine that you realized this truck was something special. There were no belts, sparkplugs, or anything else that resembled an engine. But what you did see was a steampunk theme with gears and gadgets; it was out of this world. The '52 won the Mark Twain Award. This 1952 Chevy Truck, by far, was getting the most attention.
1952 Chevy truck, Mark Twain Award Winer
Along with the car show, a live band played most of the day outdoors at an outdoor stage. Then, at the end of both Friday and Saturday, the cars cruised down S. "C" St. It was fun watching the cars drive by. The participants were having just as much fun as the spectators as we all watched as they passed by.
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Mentioned in post…
Virginia City Cemeteries
The Forgotten, reading the head stones tells a story of just how tough it was in the 1800’s in Virginia City. Check the out post