One year after the COVID-19 pandemic put nearly everything on hold, the annual Seaboard Festival Day in Hamlet, North Carolina, made its return. Held in Richmond County, this event launched in 1982, marking the city’s heritage as a railroad center. Indeed, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad had two main lines that crossed Hamlet, making this community an important stop on points north and south as well as east and west.
The original company is gone, but its freight successor the Seaboard Coast Line lives on. As for passengers, they ride federally backed AMTRAK trains, with a stop still maintained in this small community near the South Carolina line. Though trains are certainly an important part of the city’s heritage, the annual festival also has an automotive component known as the Seaboard Festival Car Show.
Hamlet Depot Venue
It was the car show that held our attention, with vehicles beginning to arrive with the show’s 9 a.m. start. Much of the day remained chilly under overcast skies with clouds weakening by late morning.
By early afternoon, under mostly sunny skies, the lawn adjacent to the Hamlet Depot had filled with classic cars. Entrants paid a nominal fee, which made them eligible for door prizes from local businesses. Further, special awards were dispensed later that day.
Seaboard Festival Car Show
DrivenAutos.com was on hand to take in the car show as well as the wider events of the day. More than three dozen photos of mostly classic cars follows. Notably, the show was dominated by classic domestics, including Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Oldsmobile, Studebaker, GMC, and Pontiac. A lone Volkswagen Beetle represented the foreign makes.
Besides the classic cars, we’ve also included some details about the overall event. The day began at 8 a.m. with a 5K run, with the show itself starting one hour later and concluding at 5 p.m.
Seaboard Festival: The Day’s Events
The city set aside blocks of Main Street for the festival, barring adjacent side streets. Thousands were in attendance for the county’s largest annual event.
A children’s play area; helicopter, train, and plane tours; food stands, and vendors, were among the highlights. Even Smokey the Bear and a U.S. Forest Service ranger were present. Indeed, a classic Forest Service story about Smokey played on a continuous loop for hours on end.
See Also — Autumn Delight: Full Throttle Fall Car & Bike Show
Photos copyright Stumpwater Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
