Classic cars compliment county’s tourism economy

A PR firm points this out. This week I received an email from the Lou Hammond Group, a national PR firm, that pointed out something I should have known. Here is what they wrote:

People often associate Cabarrus County, North Carolina with high-speed motor racing and the Charlotte Motor Speedway, but this destination is also ideal for classic car collectors, enthusiasts and fanatics. Events and car museums available to car enthusiasts throughout the year include:

AutoBarn classic cars – A 60,000 square foot indoor showroom at the Gibson Mill community hub in Concord. Just a 10-minute drive from Charlotte Motor Speedway, this auto show is a great place to browse new classic and concept cars. And for an added bonus, race cars and classic memorabilia are for sale.

Morrison Motor Car Museum – A car museum full of sports and muscle cars. This exhibition features more than 50 cars from the last century. It also has a gift shop and the opportunity to purchase a collector car such as a Mustang or Camaro on the property’s grounds.

street classic – This showroom offers an impressive collection of street classics. Guests can see street rods, muscle cars, vintage cars and more. The 70,000 square foot showroom has over 300 classic cars for sale.

Mustang Owner’s Museum – The perfect place for Mustang lovers! Mustangs grace the museum’s displays, with various modified vehicles on display throughout the year. The museum also hosts car shows and cruise events like the Best of the Best Car Show and the Mustang Chili & Cornbread Cook Off.

Curb Motorsport Museum – Dale Earnhardt’s car #2 is here! The Curb Museum features a collection of NASCAR and Indy cars. The museum also houses cars that wrote pages in motorsport history, including the car Dale Earnhardt drove when he won his first Winston Cup championship.

You know what’s sad – I’ve never been to three of the five and it’s been years since I’ve gone to any of them.

A car shop at the airport. A relatively new company in Concord is Gateway Classic Cars on the corner of Derita Road and Aviation Boulevard (the road leading to Scott Padgett Regional Airport).

Gateway Classics takes classic vehicles on consignment and markets them for sale worldwide. It has been in business for 23 years.

“…Our program is designed to take the stress out of private selling and the risk of losing money at auction,” said Gateway Classics. “Finding the right buyer for your classic car or exotic car is our mission AND our passion! With over 23 years of experience, we have the marketing, staff and national network of indoor showrooms to find the right buyer for your vehicle.”

I wonder if people fly to the airport just to see the cars.

A new burger restaurant is coming to Copperfield. A reader informed us about this. Per permits filed with Concord and Cabarrus County, a DairiO restaurant will be located at 1015 Vinehaven Drive, Concord.

It is on the corner of Copperfield Blvd, across from the Waffle House.

The Concord DairiO will be the North Carolina-based company’s 11th location in Piedmont. The 10th location will soon open in Lenior.

The DairiO serves hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and ice cream, among other things. It is a fast food restaurant with drive through and dine in. The company was founded in King (northeast of Winston-Salem) in 1947.

There’s a good bit of grading going on at Copperfield, but I haven’t figured out what it will be yet. We’re continuing to work on that.

The fight against garbage continues. ELK (Eliminating Litter in Kannapolis) coordinated another street sweep in Kannapolis last weekend.

“This past event was one of our most beautiful events,” said Rita Bliven, the director of ELK. “The weather was beautiful. The event was hosted by Shamburger Insurance Group (new owners of Allstate’s Kannapolis office). The Shamburger Insurance Group team was hardworking and fun. Two high school students, Arthur and Camden, earned the needed basic volunteer hours. Camden Bowers represented the AL Brown Beta Club. To top it off, the owners of Grounds and Vine (Rich and Sarah) blessed each volunteer with a free specialty coffee.”

ELK anticipates that AL Brown High School will host the next garbage collection event.

NCDOT recognizes Anti-Littering Warrior. This one isn’t in Cabarrus County, but I wanted to share it because it’s important to keep all of North Carolina litter-free.

Tiffanie Mullis is an administrative clerk and holds multiple positions at the NC Department of Transportation’s District Office covering Anson and Union counties.

your favorite hat? Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator.

Mullis was recognized this week for her efforts as a statewide “Outstanding Coordinator” in recognition of her exemplary service to the Adopt-A-Highway program, which consists of more than 120,000 participants across North Carolina.

Staff from NCDOT’s Waste Management Department select an awardee based on criteria such as: B. how the coordinator handles inquiries, how efficiently he/she processes Adop-A-Highway applications, and general customer service.

“My thoughts on receiving the award were varied – surprise and appreciation for the recognition are the two that stand out the most,” said Mullis. “I like to think that I always do my job to the best of my ability and try to keep those families and communities in mind of how I’d like to be treated when dealing with things like this.”

As one of the program’s coordinators, Mullis works with applicants to select a two-mile stretch of state-maintained road for acceptance in Anson and/or Union counties. In Union County alone, she works with 144 groups cleaning approximately 263 miles of pavement. She works with nine other groups in Anson County who are volunteering to clear an additional 21 miles of roads.

What motivates you? The desire to see the roadsides clean.

“Honestly, the garbage on every street is motivation enough,” Mullis said. “Growing up and living in this area all my life makes it my home. I grew up understanding that you shouldn’t throw trash and we just don’t seem to do that anymore.”

Mullis also says that word of mouth is a big help in recruiting into the program, as is seeing existing signage on accepted stretches of road, which prompts others to consider joining as well.

If you have a Friday Five, story suggestion, or anything else I can email [email protected] or call or text 704-786-0001.