Car enthusiasts to explore the country roads of southern WV

Josephine Moore, The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
·2 min read

Jun. 20—Owners of Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky vehicles from the United States and Canada have made their way to Beckley this week for the 18th North American Solstice and Sky Annual Meet (NASSAM).

The city of Beckley and Visit Southern West Virginia began welcoming members of the car club on Sunday with several events planned for the week including a car show in downtown Beckley Thursday evening.

Over 180 cars are registered for the event, making this the third largest NASSAM event since its inception in 2006.

Several groups of car club members will be doing daily rides around southern West Virginia ranging from 100 to 200 miles.

Jill Moorefield at Beckley Event said the group has planned trips to Hawks Nest, Babcock, Hinton and a number of other places in south West Virginia as well as a few nearby places in Virginia.

While some motorists like to avoid winding roads, NASSAM organizer said it was because of these curvy roads that Beckley was chosen as the location for this event.

"The decision to come here was largely based on Beckley's proximity to twisting highways and byways," said Pontiac Solstice owner Jim Lyddon, the event's organizer, in a press release."

Much like the popular song known by all in West Virginia, Moorefield the car club came to Beckley looking for country roads.

"They want to drive around in sports cars on country roads," she said. "And so that's why they picked our area and some of the routes that they're are going on.

Moorefield said this is the third consecutive year that Beckley has hosted a national car show.

"We had the Great America Race come through town two years ago. We had the Antique Automobile Club of America rally here last year and then we've got this show this year," she said. "We've been really fortunate to be able to track the national shows over the last few years and hopefully we'll get a few more."

For those looking to get a closer look at these vehicles, they will line the streets in downtown Beckley for the Solstice and Sky Car Show on Thursday, June 22, from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

During Thursday's car show, Daniel Lilly and the Lilly Mountaineers will perform from 6-8 p.m. at Word Park. Randy Gilkey will perform on Main Street from 6-7:30 p.m., sponsored by United Bank.

Downtown restaurants and businesses are encouraged to be open during the evening and a few food trucks will be set up for the car show.

For a look at more events happening in Beckley this summer go to beckley.org/city-event-calendars or follow Beckley Events on Facebook.

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com