It was a hot, sunny day as we turned off I-87 North at exit 22. We turned right onto Main Street and were immediately met by bumper-to-bumper traffic. But it was Adirondack Nationals Car Show day, so we expected as much.
The annual Lake George car show has been going on since the first gathering of Albany Rods and Kustoms in 1988, when there were only 268 vehicles registered compared to the nearly 1,500 registered in 2022. Hotrods, trucks, vans, station wagons, roadsters and more paraded up and down Canada street, their revs and burnouts turning heads.
After finding parking on of the back streets, we strolled down Canada Street, taking in the classic car culture and gawking at the pockets of mini car shows filling the parking lots. One featured a line of modern supercars including an Audi R8 V10, while in the parking lot next to it old classics like a 1955 Chevy BelAir, Coupe De-ville and 1950 Mercury Hot Rod gathered.
Even if you didn’t purchase a $15 ticket to see the official registered cars, there were enough vehicles lining the street that you could just take a chair out and watch the show for free. And that’s what many car-lovers did: crowd the sidewalks to watch in chairs, campers, trailers and even some tents.
Before we headed home, we just had to stay for the famous Canada Street evening cruise. Crowds gathered and cheered as custom cars, muscle cars and revered classics cruised up and down the strip. Giddy owners honked at the enthusiastic on-lookers, smiling from their clean, sparkling vehicles and waving. Until next year.
