Its's All About The Cars - Hot August Nights
Sep 22, 2021
I took my photography up to Reno for Hot August Nights this year.
For those of you who aren't surrounded by the classic car scene, Hot August Nights is a largely outdoor festival where thousands of restored classic cars, mostly from the late 50s to late 60s, roll into Reno, Nevada for a four day celebration.
How do I know about it? Am I a classic car buff? The second answer is NO. While I do enjoy classic cars, I don't normally go out of my way to see them.
As far as the first question goes, I know about Hot August Nights because I lived in Modesto, California for 20 years. How does that tie in? Modesto is where film maker George Lukas grew up. And he has often acknowledged that his movie "American Grafitti" is based on his formative years in Modesto.
Each year Modesto dedicates the month of June as "Graffiti Month" and literally dozens of classic car shows and rallies are held in that small city. So with that many classic car buffs in one place, it is hard NOT to know about the biggest classic car event in the west, which is Hot August Nights in Reno.
While it did not work well for me financially, I loved the experience. Except the gas fumes. Not to downplay how far we have left to go, but we have come so far on exhaust emissions from when I grew up.
I met people from all of the country. I met a lady from Long Island, New York. I met a man from Chicago who didn't even know about Hot August Nights. He was just making his way to San Francisco on Amtrak and got delayed in Reno. While the car exhibitors were certainly dominated by guys of my generation (which is to say white, male, borderline senior citizens), the spectators came from all ages, ethnicities, and walks of life.
And man, was it ever hot. (Hence the name HOT August Nights). The first two days I sat in my booth at 103 and 104 degrees respectively.
But I had a lot of fun and saw some really great cars.