Classic Ride of the Month

Our 4 May 2024 Pilot Mountain Cruise-In was cancelled due to the all-day rain forecast. Ever heard the phrase “every cloud has a silver lining?” Ours was in the form of a group of horseless carriage club members who had planned a get together for 2-4 May 2024 at North Wilkesboro. Here is an article written in the Wilkes Journal-Patriot about the gathering.

“Horseless Carriage Club of America members will cruise down the Main streets of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro in early model cars Friday as part of the organization’s annual spring tour. They’ll be in about 50 cars, all made no later than 1927, said Casey Mitchell of Dobson, one of the organizers. The group is staying at the Hampton Inn in Wilkesboro Thursday night and Friday nights, with participants from five states.

They’ll leave the Hampton Inn Friday morning about 8:45 to cruise down Main Street, Wilkesboro, and take a lap around the Rose Glen Village parking lot while on the way to the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Wilkesboro Police Chief Tommy Rhodes will lead them then. Ronald Queen, director of operations at the speedway, will speak to the group at the speedway before they ride around the .625 of a mile oval.

From there they’ll head to downtown North Wilkesboro and park on Main Street for lunch at Talia’s. Main Street, North Wilkesboro, will be closed to other traffic between Sixth and Ninth streets from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday for this visit, said a town spokesman. Mitchell said club members will have free time Friday afternoon. He said visits then will include Yadkin Valley Motor Co. and Boone Trail starting in North Wilkesboro. Mitchell said that on Saturday, the group will take N.C. 268 to Pilot Mountain.”

The Cruise-In Committee knew in advance about the possibility of the visit from the horseless carriages, but was surprised they were going to come to Pilot, rain or shine. Not to let a good thing go to waste, it was decided to visit the parking lot where the cars were staged and select one of the cars as CLASSIC RIDE OF THE MONTH. The car selected was a 1913 Pierce Arrow owned by Bob and Jennifer Lancaster from Wilmington, NC.