When the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival was born less than a decade ago, the idea was to bring a truly special event to Lakeland that included a Concours d’Elegance along with an open show portion. Anyone who has attended knows it has been a smashing success, and on October 17-19, 2008, it attracted over 550 registered show cars and an estimated 40,000 spectators. It has certainly become one of our favorite shows each year.

The Lake Mirror Classic draws a very diverse selection of vehicles, with two distinct display areas. Located around the pristine lake is the Concourse area with 100 vehicles pre-selected, some of which you might not have even known existed - or have never gotten the opportunity to see in person before because they are that rare. An adjacent 16-block section of closed off streets is where the open show spotlights hot rods, custom and classics, that can make your jaw drop for entirely different reasons. Combined it makes for a neat day, where you can experience a little bit of everything while walking around the quaint downtown Lakeland streets. The Concours area has CCCA and AACA judging criteria to decide the many elegant awards, while the open show portion rewards outstanding vehicles with many Sponsor’s Choice ribbons.

A big “Thank You” goes out to Heacock Classic Collector Car Insurance for organizing this very well run event, which is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz and a host of other businesses. Every registered vehicle gets a first class plexiglass display sign with info about their vehicle along with a goody bag, it is absolutely free to spectators, and even helps raise funds for local nonprofit organizations.

Besides the two show areas we’ve highlighted here, there are lots of other scheduled activities that take place. They include everything from concerts to catered banquets, which are far too numerous to adequately list here, so we advise you to visit www.lakemirrorclassic.com for all the info on what this show has to offer participants and spectators alike.

Keep an eye out for the announcement of the 2009 dates in our Coming Attractions section, or by visiting www.lakemirrorclassic.com. We are already looking forward to it, and hope to see you there! CN