Lakeside Hot Car and Boat Show Revs Up in Lake County

August 3, 2016

Calm, beautiful California wine country will get taken over by muscle cars, fast boats and rip-roaring engines for a hot upcoming weekend in August.

The coolest event of the summer is the Lakeside Hot Car and Boat Show (Aug. 12-14), a three-day rally of classic cars, vintage boats and rock ’n’ roll on the shores of Lake County’s legendary Clear Lake. Known as a premier destination for boating, Clear Lake hosts this annual festival of retro boats and cars at Library Park in Lakeport featuring a weekend-long lineup of vintage vehicles, live entertainment, pin-up girl contests and even the infamous “Sheriff Brian Martin cacklefest,” where the loudest boat wins the prize.

Best of all, the Lakeside Hot Car and Boat Show is a free event. Fundraisers are scheduled throughout the weekend to benefit Operation Tango Mike, a nonprofit that sends care packages to U.S. troops stationed abroad, and the hot boats will indeed take to the water for high-performance demonstrations that will thrill.

Whether you’re a hot boat or vintage car owner, or just a fan of these magnificent machines, the rally is a great time for car and boat lovers of all ages to gather. Registration is still open for boats or car owners of any year, model or make. Trophies galore will be handed out to winners, with a full list of awards available online. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department will be on hand to award loudest boat trophies, with an additional trophy for the fastest boat winner.

Boat owners will want to polish their hulls, because Speedboat Magazine will have photographers at the show taking shots for a feature article. And whether you’re a car or boat owner, you’ll have the opportunity to get the contestants of the pin-up girl contest to pose with your vintage ride for an awesome retro photo.

Motorcycle Megan LogoA whole weekend worth of special events is lined up for the Lakeside Hot Car and Boat Show, kicking off with a free Friday night concert in Library Park featuring the popular classic rock revue band Decades. On Saturday night, cars will be able to head over to the Lakeport Auto Movies drive-in theater for an old-time double-feature drive-in night. Then on Sunday, it’s wine tasting at two of Lake County’s greatest wineries and a tour of a wine cave followed by a picnic.

With a big Hot Car and Boat Show itinerary in the works, you’ll want to make a weekend out of it and stay in Lake County. Lake County has plenty terrific hotels, cottages and cabins, bed-and-breakfasts and campgrounds or RV parks for overnight stays. Dining out is a delicious pastime in Lake County, with a wide range of restaurants featuring everything from retro diners to pizza joints to fine dining. There’s casino action close by, the shopping scene is worth checking out, and remember that every dollar you spend contributes to the Valley fire recovery that’s rebuilding Lake County and putting this great community back together.

There’s only one place where it’s good to be in a hot car this summer, and that’s the Lake County Hot Car and Boat Show. It’s a great place to meet fellow enthusiasts of hot rods, custom roadsters and classic boats. And it’s also a good-time rock ’n’ roll weekend in the beautiful Lake County summer sun. Let the good times roll in Lake County!