Historic Festival parade brings vintage cars, racing legends to Northwest Corner

FALLS VILLAGE — Millerton resident Rob Cooper was among hundreds of spectators who turned out Thursday, Sept. 3, to watch more than 130 vintage cars parade through the Northwest Corner at the start of Lime Rock Park’s Historic Festival 44.
Cooper, a vintage-car enthusiast, called the annual parade and the festival that followed quintessential events for the region’s automobile community.

“It’s the most amazing parade,” Cooper said.

Cooper owns a restored historic Mobil gas station in Millerton, where he hosts his own car shows. He said the tri-state area is home to countless collectors who cherish their vintage automobiles.

“There are cars tucked away in garages and barns around here that people don’t realize,” Cooper said. “Within walking distance of my shop here, I could probably take you to 10 or 12 places that have cars inside.”

The cars departed Lime Rock Park at about 5 p.m. for the roughly 40-minute drive, traveling through Lakeville and Salisbury before ending in Falls Village, where about 750 people filled Main Street to welcome them.

Along the route through Salisbury, spectators gathered outside the White Hart Inn and at Noble Horizons, a senior living community, where residents lined the roadway.

In Falls Village, spectators began filling Main Street well before the cars arrived. Many brought chairs from home, and the shaded spaces beside Town Hall filled early.

The crowd drew spectators from across Dutchess and Litchfield counties and beyond, including visitors from Cornwall, Farmington, and New Marlborough, Massachusetts, as well as Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, and Blue Ridge, Georgia. Most had attended at least one previous parade, and many had been to several.

Motorsports figures were also among those gathered, including Sam Posey, who grew up in Sharon before racing in Formula One, IndyCar, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Also attending was Skip Barber, a former Formula One driver and three-time Sports Car Club of America national champion who owned the track for nearly four decades before its sale to a group of investors in 2021.

Colin Chambers, a parade organizer recognizable by his trademark colorful madras pants, moved around downtown troubleshooting last-minute details. Chambers said this year’s procession included 39 race cars and 96 sports cars.

He said the parade began in 2010, the same year he purchased the Falls Village Inn. Other Northwest Corner towns had signature annual events that drew crowds, including Salisbury’s Fall Festival, and Falls Village wanted one too.

“We wanted one for Falls Village,” Chambers said.

Barber said the track was looking for a suitable location for a parade gathering that year. Organizers first considered Salisbury but concluded there was not enough parking.

“Then Colin called up and said Falls Village could do it,” Barber said.

Once the cars were parked, spectators moved into the street to examine them, speak with their owners, and compare favorites. The gathering offered a slower, more intimate view of the machines that would soon be competing at Lime Rock Park.

Barber said no one at the track anticipated in 2010 that the Falls Village gathering would grow into such a popular tradition.

Standing near Railroad and Main streets as the village filled with cars and spectators, he surveyed the scene.

“This is really cool,” Barber said. “There are a lot of really nice cars.”

Patrick L. Sullivan, Alec Linden, Madi Long and Christian Murray contributed to this report.

Photo by Christine Bates

Rob Cooper stands next to the flying Pegasus at his restored Mobil Station on Route 44 in Millerton.