Residents of the small community of Newport, Indiana are ready to welcome a huge crowd this weekend for the annual Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb. Bill Pickett has more.
Doug Weisheit of the Newport Lions Club says drivers planning to participate are coming from several states….
{AUDIO: “We’ll have cars from at least 30 states, either in the car show or in the competition race up the hill here at Newport. Practice is all-day on Saturday until about 5 o’clock, and then the parade is at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday – and then the race itself is on Sunday here at Newport.} ** (All events are on Eastern Time.)
The first Newport Hill Climb was held in 1909, but a lack of interest cancelled the event in 1916. The Newport Lions Club revived the event in 1968. And Weisheit says upwards of 60-thousand people are expected for this year’s competition.
And what does Weisheit think has kept the event alive all these years?
{AUDIO: “It’s the pride of the event itself the drivers take. We have generations of drivers. We have one family that we are now on the fourth generation of drivers up the hill in their family cars – that are inherited from generation to generation from the 1960s now.}
The event is sponsored by the Newport Lions Club and the Town of Newport, along with the Newport Volunteer Fire Department. Many volunteers and financial donors also make the event possible.
Weisheit was asked where the proceeds from the event go…
{AUDIO: “We’re a Lions Club of Indiana, so we support most of the Lions Club – like the Eye Bank, the glasses. And then here locally, we give scholarships. We have a queen pageant. We donate most – all the money goes to the North Vermillion School Corporation, which we are a member of.”}
(The 2024 Newport Lions Club Raffle Car this year is a 1940 Plymouth.)
If you plan to attend the Hill Climb this weekend, Weisheit suggests you arrive early and expect delays getting into the town. Indiana State Police will be helping with traffic control along State Road 63 in the area of the Hill Climb.
**********************************************
Other Information about the Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb:
- Parking is $10 per carload
- No golf carts, ATVs, Bicycles, or other motorized vehicles are allowed in the Flea Market or Car Show areas.
- Shuttle rides from the parking lot are $1 which supports the Newport Church of God.
For more information visit www.https//Newport-antique-auto-hillclimb.squarespace.com/index
Or:
www.https//Newport-antique-auto-hillclimb.squarespace.com/schedule.
