Vermont Antique and Classic Car Meet rolls into Waterbury
August 14, 2021 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
The Vermont Antique & Classic Car Meet is on this weekend at Farr's Field on Rt. 2 in Waterbury. Main Street will be closed Saturday for a car parade at 3:30 p.m. Lower Stowe Street will be closed 7-10 p.m. for a street dance. File photo by Gordon Miller
After a 2020 hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts have rolled into Waterbury for their 64th Antique and Classic Car Meet this weekend.
The event is set up at Farr’s Field on U.S. Route 2 through Sunday although Saturday’s events will bring the classic cars into Waterbury village for a parade and street dance.
Main Street will be closed for the car parade starting at 3:30 p.m. from Farr’s Field into downtown to the Waterbury Train Station. Later from 7 to 10 p.m., the lower block of Stowe Street near Main Street will be closed for a street party.
The show was held for 60 years in Stowe and in 2018 moved to Waterbury. With a year off in 2020, this year is the third time it will be held at Farr’s Field.
Club spokesman Chris Barbieri said the group was happy to see the state’s COVID-19 restrictions lifted in June, giving event organizers a green light to proceed with planning all of the elements for the weekend event that typically attracts hundreds of classic-car fans to the area. “We were prepared to follow whatever the regulations would be at the time,” he said.
Given that the activities are all held outdoors, Barbieri said organizers were confident it would be safe despite the recent surge in new COVID-19 cases in the state. “We’re telling people to use common sense,” he said, noting that the outdoor venue makes it easy for people to spread out.
Asked about whether the club was communicating with attendees about the recent outbreak in Waterbury, Barbieri said it didn’t have any specific guidance to share. If attendees see signs that stores or restaurants asking patrons to wear masks, for example, he said he hoped people would respect those requests.
The automobile club arranged to have a COVID-19 vaccine clinic both Friday and Saturday at Farr’s Field offering the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Hours for the clinic Saturday are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The state Department of Health has made a push to set up vaccine clinics at public events and where people gather to make it easy for people to get vaccinated. Vermont presently has one of the highest vaccination rates in the U.S. with nearly 85 percent of those eligible for the vaccine having had at least one dose, according to state public health data.
Spectators can attend the show for $12 per day; children age 12 and under are free.
The show includes judging 34 car classes including military vehicles, street rods and motorcycles. A special contest will judge entrants’ vintage fashions to match the era of their vehicle.
The event hosts an automotive-themed craft sale and special flea market. The regular Waterbury Flea Market takes a break and will not be held this weekend.
Proceeds from the show support the auto club’s education programs that aim to encourage and recognize student achievement in automotive technical programs at both the high school and associate degree levels.
More details including the daily schedule are online at vtauto.org.