FALLS VILLAGE — A 17-mile procession brought more than 130 vintage cars through the Northwest Corner Thursday, Sept. 3, as hundreds of spectators lined the route from Lime Rock Park to downtown Falls Village for the opening of Historic Festival 44.

Students came out to watch as the procession passed The Hotchkiss School. Farther along the route, residents lined the streets in downtown Salisbury and gathered on the lawn of the White Hart Inn, while Noble Horizons, a senior living facility, held a watch party for its residents and visitors. Dozens of spectators set up viewing areas along the way.

The parade included a 1948 Morgan Series One, a 1959 Triumph TR3, a 1970 Fiat Spider, and a 1991 Shelby Cobra, and a Ferrari 348 Challenge.

The cars departed Lime Rock Park at about 5 p.m. for the roughly 40-minute drive, traveling through Lakeville and Salisbury before arriving in Falls Village, where about 750 people filled Main Street to welcome them. The 130-plus vintage vehicles were parked along Main and Railroad streets.

The parade marked the opening of Lime Rock Park’s five-day Historic Festival 44, which continued through Labor Day.

After passing the spectators at the White Hart Inn, the procession turned onto Cobble Road and entered Noble Horizons. Dozens of seniors waited along the driveway and around the cul-de-sac in front of the main buildings. Other seniors set up their own viewing areas along the route.

Residents of Noble Horizons wave checkered flags as the Historic Festival parade passes through their community in Salisbury.Alec Linden

A group of about 12 seniors held a tailgate near the entrance of Noble Horizons, where the cars could be seen twice.

“You can see them once when they go in and again when they go out,” said Evelyn Franson, a four-year Noble Horizons resident who has lived in Salisbury for more than 30 years.

Her favorite part of the parade, she said, was “seeing the pride of the owners and the people driving the cars.”

Mim Galligan, an 11-year resident whose rollator carried a sticker reading, “I identify as a Ferrari,” noted that some of the vehicles were “really antique.”

“Almost as old as we are,” Franson responded.

When the procession made its way down the drive, residents cheered, waved checkered flags, and called out to the passing drivers.

Danielle Bailey, director of community relations and pastoral care at Noble Horizons, said vintage and sports cars associated with the festival have been visiting the community for at least as long as she has worked there, which is approaching 20 years. Some residents once raced at Lime Rock themselves, she said.

“It’s very special for our community and very special for Lime Rock,” Bailey said. “This is one of our favorite events.”

Buz and Pat Hanley were watching the parade from Noble Horizons for the third year. During their first, they unexpectedly spotted friends among the drivers.

“It was so exciting,” Buz Hanley said. The couple had not known their friends were interested in vintage cars.

Fran Schwartz, who has attended the parade in each of her three years at Noble Horizons, said the display brought back family memories.

“My father would be so proud because he sold used cars,” Schwartz said.

Sylvia Durning has not missed the procession during her 13 years as a Noble Horizons resident.

“It’s just a fun event, and it’s so nice that they include us,” she said.

Back at the entrance tailgate, 21-year resident Nina Mathus watched from a golf cart.

“It’s really so much fun because we’re so close to them,” Mathus said. “You smell the smoke, you see their smiles.”

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 included people from Cornwall, Farmington, and New Marlborough, Massachusetts, as well as visitors from Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, and Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Most visitors had attended at least one previous parade, with the majority having gone to several.

Motorsport 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. So too was Skip Barber, the 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 in 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 they 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 began racing at Lime Rock in the late 1950s and said he fell in love with

the track immediately. He said the festival connects the history of racing with a new generation of enthusiasts.

“This is a real celebration of a lot of things that used to be, but it’s also the introduction to motorsports for a lot of young people,” he said. “It really bridges a gap.”

As the crowd waited in Falls Village Thursday, stilt walkers Cynthia Rauschert and Timothy J. Walsh of Bethel cavorted along Main Street in checkered outfits. The two, who perform as Circus Moves, were also tasked with waving checkered flags as the cars arrived.

Timothy J. Walsh welcomes drivers to Falls Village. Madi Long

“I talked with them, explained this is a racing event, and asked them to see what they could come up with,” Chambers said. “I think it’s fantastic.”

Falls Village resident Marx Alexander had overseen the stilt walking in previous years but has retired and disbanded his troupe, Mortal Beasts & Deities.

Rauschert credited Alexander with keeping Circus Moves informed about community events such as the parade. She said the group’s performances are intended “to uplift individuals and communities.”

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., Wanda Houston, a jazz and blues singer, started performing. About 10 minutes later, bagpipes could be heard in the distance as the Middletown Police Benevolent Association Pipes and Drums marched down Main Street toward the Green.

Soon after, the Lime Rock Park pace car, a 2024 McLaren Artura, appeared with its lights flashing, heralding the arrival of the vintage vehicles.

Main Street came alive with the rumble of engines and the smell of exhaust. Spectators snapped photos, and drivers waved from behind the wheel as Falls Village volunteers guided the cars into parking spaces.

Among those participating was classic-car historian, appraiser, and consultant Donald Osborne, who rode in a red 1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce. Although he had previously attended the festival, it was his first time taking part in the parade.

“The last time I was at the festival here for Labor Day was in 2008, so it’s just incredible to be back here for the festival,” Osborne said. “I love this track and western Connecticut.”

Osborne said the parade offered participants an opportunity to experience the surrounding landscape in the cars being celebrated. “This is a car that was made for the roads around here, and I can not wait to drive it on these roads,” he said, just moments before the parade began.

Bill Rueckert, one of Lime Rock Park’s general partners, drove his 1973 BMW 2002, which has been fully rebuilt as a race car.

“We have a record amount of entries,” Rueckert said. “Alfa Romeo is our featured marque this year. There are some cars that have come from Florida, there are cars that have come from the West Coast. We have someone from the Alfa Romeo Museum in Milan.”

Todd Mackenzie, who has attended the festival for many years, drove the parade route with his wife in a navy blue 1935 Ford Roadster acquired from a collection assembled by classic-car dealer Wayne Carini of Portland. The customized car has a Chevrolet big-block engine, an automatic transmission, and power windows, and had participated in the parade before.

“Take a look around at what you’ve got, especially on the European side,” Mackenzie said. “There’s nothing else like it. You can go to other car shows, but nothing like this.”

A few vehicles arrived showing the strain of the trip.

Steve Katz of Rockland County, New York, and Sharon needed help pushing his 1959 Triumph TR3 after it overheated just before reaching its parking space.

Volunteers help push Steve Katz's 1959 Triumph TR3 into a parking spot after overheating towards the end of the parade. Patrick L. Sullivan

Katz, who had completed the parade before without mechanical trouble, remained unruffled.

“It’s awesome,” he said of the event.

As for the Triumph, he added, “I’m hoping when it cools off I’ll be able to start it.”

Paul Hartigan’s 1991 Shelby Cobra was also running hot. Hartigan, of Warwick, New York, estimated that the temperature inside the cockpit had reached about 130 degrees, nearly matching the engine temperature.

It was his second time participating in the parade.

“I’m just showcasing today,” he said.

John Bigler arrived in a 1948 Morgan Series One, which he described as the company’s first model produced after it moved from three wheels to four. The car was also struggling with the temperature, partly because it was designed without a water pump.

Falls Village resident Sergei Fedorjaczenco encountered similar trouble with his 1970 Fiat Spider. He managed to park in front of The Center on Main, where several people gathered to offer mechanical advice.

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 and more intimate view of the machines that would 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.”

Madi Long

Three people take a closer look under the hood of a classic car following the parade on Thursday, Sept. 3.