Rolling out classics at Towne Lake
The 1963 Volkswagen ragtop of Joseph and Diane Incognito will be in a classic car show in the Towne
The volunteers who have joined forces to stage the first Towne Lake Classic Car Show have more in common than a love of well-preserved automobiles.
The 30-plus volunteers are residents of the Heritage at Towne Lake, a 55 and better" community in the heart of the master-planned Towne Lake at Barker-Cypress and West Road in Cy-Fair.
Several say they have bonded quickly with their neighbors in the short time they have lived in the neighborhood, and a love of cars served as the driving force behind the Classic Car Show set noon-5 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Heritage at Towne Lake Lodge, 19201 North Canyon Lake Springs Drive.
The event is free to the public, and the rain date is Jan. 31.
This is a really close-knit community," said Stan Wylie, a Heritage at Towne Lake resident and volunteer. A lot of things we do here target seniors, but we wanted to include the remainder of Towne Lake and residents and families outside of the community in this event."
A lot of us grew up in the 1950s, and it was a big deal to many of us especially those of us who grew up in small towns to go down to the local dealership to see the new car models when they came in," Wylie said.
Wylie said in addition to raising funds for the Heritage at Towne Lake Lodge, the Classic Car Show is meant to draw more attention to the Heritage and Towne Lake communities.
When fully built out, the Heritage will have more than 400 homes; and Towne Lake will have several residential sections, a 300-acre lake, a business district on U.S. 290, retail shopping and waterfront restaurants, parks and trails and a community amphitheater.
Alan Rothenberg, a Towne Lake resident who has entered his 2001 Mercedes SLK 230 Sport in the show, said several neighbors have classic cars in their garages and are itching for an event like this to take them out and show them to the community.
These are the kinds of cars that guys like to have the kind that you keep very clean, and take out for a drive on a nice day," Rothenberg said. They are not the car you drive to the grocery store."
Joe Incognito, a Heritage resident and one of the event's organizers, said there is room for 75 cars at the show and there are open slots. Car owners who would like to participate are required to register their cars and pay a $15 fee.
Staging will take place in the Heritage at Towne Lake Lodge parking lot from 10 a.m.noon and judging from 35 p.m. Trophies will be awarded for People's Choice, Best in Show, Best of the 50s, Best of the 60s, Best of the 70s, Best Paint and Best Restoration.
Incognito said he will be entering his 1963 Volkswagen Ragtop in the show.
In addition to the cars, he said, there will be activities for families, including face painting, a moon walk and a Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department fire truck. There will be a food court with hot dogs, sausage-on-a-stick, cotton candy, popcorn, homemade cookies and cupcakes and beverages. Raffles will be held at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
We are looking for more donated items from area vendors," Incognito said. At this time we are planning on at least 10 donated items per hour for each of the four raffle times."
Funds raised will go toward the Heritage community's Adult Community Activity Center Fund. That provides funding for equipment, projects and events at the Lodge, which serves as a central meeting and activities venue for Heritage residents.
The Lodge really pulls us together," said Ernie Griffith, a Heritage resident and event volunteer. There is so much to do here, and great attendance at all of the events."
