Newport Hill Climb - Newport, IN - Festivals on Waymarking.com

Hundreds of antique cars come from all over the world to run in this event. What makes it different from your average parade of old cars is at this event they are put to the test. Yep, no putting around the block or up and down main street here, this is serious pedal to the metal give it all she's got drag racing of early 1900's street cars. Its a blast!

The setting is perfect. A sleepy little town of 600 with its county court house forgotten by time sitting in the middle of the tiny downtown. Newport just never seemed to catch on. Maybe its because although the main highway ran right through downtown there is this long sloping hill just on the edge of town that was the perfect menace to the old Model T's and A's of the time.

Now sure there are bigger hills and mountains, tougher steeper grades to be found, but Newport has that perfect notch of aggravation versus challenge for a old 1915 automobile. Its likely why the highway was moved to the west and the town was left as nothing but a bad memory to quickly be forgotten. When you arrive today at Newport you find that same sleepy little town of 600 much as it was a hundred years ago except on the weekend of the event. On that weekend the population goes from just 600 to over 100,000! YES 100 THOUSAND PEOPLE!!

And right there on the edge of town you will see it. The Hill. If you have arived early you can drive right on up to it. It seems tame enough, you will head on in to it with confidence, but it has that combination of length and grade that just saps the horsepower right out of many a car. The old get up and go just gets up and goes. When your there for the festival you will see just how true that is. Many of the old cars don't even make it and the occupants have to jump out and push. It's all part of the fun of the Newport Hill Climb festival that happens every year around the start of October.

Cars range from pre-1900 to 1955 with the majority being 1900-1930's. There are usually even a few steam powered cars racing up the hill. But although this is all about old cars there are lots of other things happening as well as you might guess with over 100,000 in attendance. There are flea markets, parades, dog shows, pageants, 5k runs, BBQ's, and entertainment. Even an old jail is open for tours. There is camping in the parking lot if you want to stay for the whole event. The oldest of the cars run the hill on Sunday so that's the day that packs 'em in. Its worth it though. There are signs on the main highway pointing you in to town and parking. The event is truly free. No one is trying to make a buck charging for parking or the likes. Just bring your wallet for the extras like food and $ to buy from the flea market and garage sales. It's hard to pass up all the things that there are to buy. You might want to donate a dollar or two to the Lions Club for hosting the event but that's up to you. They don't hit you up for donations on every corner they just put in a lot of hard work to bring the event to us every year.



Here's a excerpt from the Hill Climb's web site:

"The "Newport Auto Antique Hill Climb" is an international antique auto up hill drag racing event held each year in the small Indiana town of Newport, an event that attracts crowds of one hundred thousand plus to a town with a population of less than six hundred people. Automobiles, trucks and motorcycles from the Steam, Brass, Vintage, Antique, and Classic Car eras, make timed runs from a standing start, up a steep hill to a finish line 1,800 feet away. It is an Indiana auto event second in size only to the annual "Indianapolis Speed Way" events.

In 1909, Newport Hill was part of the main, north to south, road going through Vermilion County. A local road that went through the middle of the town of Newport. It was a route that connected Northern Indiana and Terre Haute. The hill had been used from time to time by a few automobile manufacturers for testing their cars. Maybe, that is what triggered the Hill Climb contest idea. The first Hill Climb Contest took place June 8, 1909 and was promoted by local merchants as were the six other following Hill Climb Contests. There were large crowds in those early years. People came by horse and buggy, automobile and chartered train. One newspaper wrote that every Danville, Illinois automobile was in Newport. By 1916, other more profitable automobile racing events took attention away from the Hill Climb and it was discontinued until it was resurrected in 1963.

1963 brought a two year resurrection of the Hill Climb by the Newport Volunteer Fire Department. The crowd was estimated at 7,500 the following year, but the Fire Department lost money and the resurrection attempt was discontinued.

In 1968, a new Newport Lions Club was formed and chartered by a group of local area men. They met on the west side of the town square at a restaurant owned by Bill Hawkins, named Bill's Grill (presently a Tavern). One of the club's charter members, Bill Wiggins, asked fellow members to sponsor the defunct Hill Climb. This was in September of that year and with notes and minutes of the meeting scribbled on napkins the 1st annual Lions Club Newport Hill Climb took place the following month. There were 80 competition entrants in the 13 classes that first year.

Today's Hill Climbs have evolved into technically sophisticated events with hundreds of supporting volunteers and huge international crowds all stuffed into a small town of less than 600 people."

How many days does the festival last?: 3 Admission Price: 0.00 (listed in local currency) National, County, or City Festival?: City Coordinates Location:: center of downtown - what there is of it. Website:: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
You must visit the festival at the time of the event. You must post a picture of the festival as it is going on, or a picture of a sign or banner promoting the festival.

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