Eagle Nest Car Show: Back on the Road Again (Sept. 21)

A September car show at the Eagle Nest tennis courts is a great chance for neighbors to gather and welcome the arrival of fall, organizer Tom Ford says.

The Eagle Nest Car Show, first held in October 2021, drew dozens of residents eager to admire everything from MGBs and Mustangs to a Fiat Spider. Tom says the return has been a long time coming. (Click here to see a photo gallery from the 2021 event.)

“Time gets away from you — I thought it was two years, but it’s been four," he said. "We did this in 2021 and it seemed to go over OK. We had a pretty good turnout, and it felt like a lot of people enjoyed it. So I thought, let’s do it again.”

A show for every ride

While the flyers mention “classic cars,” Tom wants everyone to know the event is bigger than that.

“The flyer says ‘classic cars,’ but I mean any car you want to show off,” he said. “They don’t have to be classics. They can be new ones, old ones, American or foreign. I’d like to have motorcycles there, too. It’s not just a classic show — it’s for anything people are proud of.”

Planning the lineup

Ford is encouraging anyone interested in displaying a car or motorcycle to reach out in advance. With room for about 40 vehicles, he needs to map out the field carefully.

“I need people to call or email me ahead of time so I can set up the layout,” he explained.

“Please don’t just show up the day of the event. If I don’t hear from people soon, I’ll have to call in my MG club, but I’d rather fill it with neighborhood cars first.”

Celebrating neighborhood pride

Part of what excites Tom most is the chance to highlight the cars that are already parked in garages and driveways right here in Eagle Nest.

“I know there are great cars right here,” he said. “There’s a neighbor with some Porsches, another with a Firebird he bought at an auction, a red-and-white ’54 Chevy, a ’65 Mustang. These cars are already here. I’d love to see them out on the field.”

Stories on wheels

For Tom, the show is about more than gleaming chrome and polished paint — it’s about the stories behind the machines.
“I’ve got two I’m going to show myself,” he said. “The blue (MG) I’ve had since 1975 when it was brand new. I restored most of it myself over four years. I dated my wife in that car. 

Cars have stories — and that’s part of the fun. You hear those stories from people when they bring their cars.”

As the date approaches, Tom hopes residents will step forward, sign up, and help make this a community celebration.

“I want this to be neighborhood-driven,” he said. “The show works best when it feels like our community showing off what we already have.”

Story by Eagle Nest resident and Board member John Strauss. Send John your neighborhood story ideas to John Strauss at johncstrauss@gmail.com.