Classic car show, festival returns

HOT RODS AND HOGS: Gary Highfill, of Cottonwood, shows off his 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback. Cottonwood’s annual Hot Rods and Hogs car and bike show opens at 9 a.m. with entry registration from 7-9 a.m.

Among the many classic cars and motorcycles to line up on Front Street in Cottonwood Saturday, Sept. 12, will be one bright red 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback owned by Gary Highfill of Cottonwood.

The fastback style was the term for the sloping transition from the hardtop to the trunk, Highfill said, whereas the standard Mustang featured a more boxy look.

Highfill's Mustang also has air vents at the cab's rear flanks. The Shelby line of fastbacks considered the obstruction a blind spot and placed small windows more proper for Le Mans racing, Highfill said.

Highfill was at an advantage when he first purchased the Mustang. His father worked at a Bay Area dealership where the car was delivered as a trade-in in 1970. As a 17-year-old in, Highfill paid $850 for the used Mustang, in which he first dated his current wife, Denise, of 37 years.

Highfill was forced to give up the vehicle to his father after driving it less than a year, as payments were too steep. Highfill's father drove the vehicle until his death in 1997.

"He loved that car," Highfill said.

Through substantial rebuilding, Highfill replaced the transmission (twice), carburetor, brakes, starter, console, and did a great deal of cosmetic work to get the car into its present condition.

Now the owner of a dental laboratory in Redding, Highfill first found employment at a dental laboratory when he was a teenager in the Bay Area. His neighbor - also an owner of a 1965 Mustang - recommended Highfill apply for a delivery position at the laboratory.

"I received on-the-job training and learned the business," Highfill said, now a certified technician.

Anymore, Highfill said he pulls the Mustang out of his garage only for car shows and "weekend driving."

He said he has collected many trophies and plaques with the car.

Hot Rods and Hogs ... and pancakes

The Hot Rods and Hogs street fair really kicks off with the pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at the Cottonwood Fire Protection District at 3271 Brush St., just off of Front Street in Cottonwood.

From 9 to 3 p.m., about 150 classic cars and bikes will be parked on Front Street. Vendors, food, music and beer garden will attend the annual Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce event, which has occupied Front Street for seven years running, organizer Debbie Ashe said.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Cottonwood Community Library, Cottonwood Fire Protection District, and the Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce.