100-year-old cars come to town next Saturday

When Britain repealed a law requiring that someone precede cars with a red flag so these newfangled "horseless carriages" wouldn't frighten horses, motorists celebrated by driving - flagless - from London to Brighton. Today's commemorative runs draw huge crowds. Minnesota's version - the 22nd Annual Antique Car Run is next Saturday (Aug. 9)- features vehicles from 1908 and earlier driving 120 miles from New London to New Brighton.

There are two places to get a free close-up look at these 100-year-old autos. The cars make their lunch stop at Buffalo Senior High School between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Food is for sale and there will also be a show of "newer" classic cars only 40 or more years old. The antique cars then steam and putter into Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton, arriving between 3 and 7 p.m.

A few antique cars will be around for a Sunday classic car show (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.) that's part of New Brighton's "Stockyard Days" weekend celebration. Admission to this show, which mostly features "newer cars, is $4, $2 with a button and $1 for seniors and ages 14 and under. For more information, call 651-638-2045 weekdays, e-mail judy.goepel@newbrightonmn.gov or visit www.antiquecarrun.org.

Visit MotorMouth blog

Are you a fan of collectible or classic cars? If you are, then check out the MotorMouth blog at Startribune.com/cars. MotorMouth Kris Palmer, freelance auto writer and editor, who also puts together this section's Weekend Garage column every Saturday, blogs about vintage cars, the collectible auto scene and just about everything else that goes vroom. And, as with any good blog, you can participate. You can post comments and converse with others about a wide variety of vintage car topics.