Hot rods and history meet in Falls Village

FALLS VILLAGE — Downtown Falls Village was full of spectators eager to see the end of the vintage race car parade from Lime Rock Park’s Historic Weekend event on Thursday, Aug. 28.

The cars left the track at 5 p.m., wound their way through Salisbury and Lakeville and then to Falls Village.

Prior to the arrival of the first cars at 5:42 p.m., the crowd was entertained with music by the Wanda Houston Project and the Middletown PBA Pipes and Drums.

Among the cars roaring into town were 15 race cars dating from 1920 and earlier.

Brian Blain of Bisalia, California, was piloting a 1911 National. He said it was raced by Charlie Merz in the first Indianapolis 500 race, also in 1911. Merz placed seventh, he added.

The cars were from the Rag Time Racers, a California-based group of race car enthusiasts specializing in very early vehicles.

Siltwalkers Liam Murphy and Abigail Veiovis from Mortal Beasts and Deities, sporting new costumes from troupe director Mark Alexander, waved the race car drivers into town.

When the hubbub of cars died down the band resumed, doing songs as disparate as “Hit the Road Jack” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

Tom Brown

The Rag Time Racers drove cars dating back to the 1910s.