Rabun County will see an influx of vintage automobiles traveling its winding roads in the upcoming days.
More than 140 marques of British cars and motorcycles are registered for the Southeast British Car Festival at The Dillard House. The four-day event begins Thursday, Sept. 15, and concludes Sunday.
The festival organized each year by the Peachtree MG Registry will hold at car show on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on The Dillard House property.
At the Saturday show, a moment of silence will be observed in honor of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II who died on Sept. 8 after reigning for seven decades.
The days prior to the show the registered group will participate in self-driving tours, guided tours, wine tours, and will again visit the Tiger Drive-In. The trip to the drive-in will be Thursday evening.
The festival has continued to be held on even-number years for 30 years.
“We have a great relationship with The Dillard House,” Steve Ratcliffe, the Peachtree MG Registry membership chairman, told The Clayton Tribune.
Ratcliffe said people in Rabun County will see the automobiles in various places during the festival.
“There will be 15 to 20 cars going through Clayton at one time,” he said.
Some of those registered for the festival also will visit area places like the Tail of the Dragon.
Ratcliffe said all the cars at the festival will be vintage as they will be at least 25 years old. Among those expected to be in attendance will be Aston-Healey, Rolls Royce, Land Rovers, and Mini Coopers.
“This is one of the bigger ones, especially in the Southeast,” Ratcliffe said of the festival. “As far as British ones, this is one of the biggest and most popular because of The Dillard House and the community.”
Ratcliffe said people from Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, Florida, West Virginia, and Tennessee are registered.
Kathy Orkin, publicity coordinator for the Peachtree MG Registry, thanked the Rabun County Chamber of Commerce for all the assistance with promoting this year’s event.
And The Dillard House is always accommodating.
“The Dillard House is known for its hospitality,” Orkin said. “The weather looks very good for this weekend.
“This is a really fun event,” she said.