Roswell Motoring Festival Brings Out The Corvettes

Honestly, Roswell Motoring Festival couldn’t have asked for a better Fall day in Atlanta to have their inaugural event. Beautiful blue skies, temperatures in the mid-’70s, and a diverse collection of pristine automotive eye-candy can be hard to beat.

You could feel the positive, laid-back energy of the crowd the minute you got out of your Vette. You just knew having a fun time was the order of the day.

The event at Miller’s Ale House was dedicated to promoting and preserving the art of the automobile while also benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

What elevated the festivities was the variety of automotive and non-automotive vendors who came out and, of course, the culinary offerings of Miller’s Ale House.

When your event combines perfect weather, great food, and a notable charity like St. Jude’s, you can expect the Corvette faithful to turn out in droves. Atlanta’s Corvette community didn’t disappoint.

Hard top on a silver C1 Corvette — Fred – 1962 Sateen Silver roadster

C1 generation corvette har top in black — Jerome – 1962 Tuxedo Black convertible

Second-generation Corvette coupe with side pipes — Richard – 1966 Maroon coupe with side pipes

St Jude Hospital

While the festival originated as a way to celebrate the art of the automobile, it was also a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As you know, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors on February 4, 1962, based on Danny Thomas’s dream that “no child should die in the dawn of life.”

Since those early days, they’ve made incredible strides in childhood cancer research. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago.

Today, they are a world leader in developing new, improved treatments for children with cancer. Remarkably, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food – because St. Jude believes that all they should worry about is helping their child live.

Fourth-generation black Corvette — John – 1996 Black coupe

Sixth-generation yellow Corvette coupe — Blair – 2006 Velocity Yellow coupe

Sixth-generation red Z06 Corvette coupe — Brad – 2007 Victory Red Z06 coupe

Sixth-generation blue Grand Sport coupe — Doug – 2011 Supersonic Blue Grand Sport coupe

Miller’s Ale House

Miller’s Ale House in Alpharetta, Ga, is a natural venue to host car events. It’s tree-lined parking area at 1070 Davis Dr, Alpharetta is tailor-made for an intimate car show or more expansive events.

We were there last month covering VetteStock hosted by the Classic Glass Corvette Club of Marietta. Each time we come back, we’re impressed with the restaurant’s food and the staff’s genuine friendliness. This time was no exception.

Seventh-generation Corvette at car show — Antonio – 2017 Watkins Grey Grand Sport coupe

Seventh-generation Corvette Grand Sport in white — Michael – 2017 Arctic White Grand Sport coupe

Seventh-generation Corvette with Vengeance Racing engine — Jim and Pam – 2019 Torch Red Grand Sport

Eighth-generation Red Corvette coupe — Ken – 2020 Long Beach Red coupe

Eighth-generation Corvette convertible — Jeff – 2020 Ceramic Matrix Grey convertible

Honoring Gene Felton

Local racing legend Gene Felton was scheduled to be the guest of honor at this inaugural event. Unfortunately, Gene, who was 84, passed away just before the event.

Gene’s illustrious racing career spanned over four decades. Among his many automotive accomplishments and championships includes winning the GTO Class at the 24 Hours race at Daytona.

There were also wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Road Atlanta, Charlotte, Pocono, and the first Miami Grand Prix event in the GTO Class.

Given the enthusiastic turnout for the inaugural Roswell Motor Festival, we can’t help but believe Gene would have felt right at home. We know we did.