NAGS HEAD, N.C. — The sounds of car engines, friendly conversation and classic cars were on display at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head during Thursday's meet and greet for the eighth annual OBX Rod and Custom Festival. A tradition here in the Outer Banks that faced a permit hurdle in March from the Town of Nags Head.
"It feels great. And really, feels great is an understatement," said Michael Tillett, who founded the event with Richard Quidley and Sara Hole eight years ago.
That's Tillett's reaction to everything kicking off on Thursday for the event's eighth year. Back in March, the Town of Nags Head initially denied their permit to use the Soundside Event Site, the headquarters of the event, over past off-site concerns including noise complaints, burnouts, unauthorized gatherings off-site and traffic control violations.
"To try to stop an event on a couple fractions of a couple people, if I can say, frankly, that doesn't even make sense," said Tillett.
The town did end up issuing the permit with some provisions including a strict 9 p.m. noise curfew, organizers footing the bill for additional law enforcement officers on site (Nags Head Police setup a temporary crosswalk with vehicles and officers on the busy bypass to allow for safe crossing for visitors each year for the event), reporting unauthorized off-site gatherings and traffic violations.
But that's all in the rearview mirror, and having countless people show up to speak on their behalf back in March showed the organizers just how much this event means to the Outer Banks.
"They came out, I'm getting goose bumps thinking about it now, it just showed us what this event means to the community," said Tillett.
It's not just the organizers who are excited. It's the many people who keep coming back year after year who heard about the permit situation as well.
"They raise a lot of money, they donate it, and it goes to good causes. These guys that put this thing on work really, really hard," said David Sweat, who has been attending the event with his original 1941 Buick for six years.
That hard work is clearly on display as the event to date has donated more than $240,000 to local charities. The Children and Youth Partnership for Dare County is the main one.
"100% of the registrations go to the charities. That's what this thing is all about, is giving back," said Tillett.
Organizers are just thankful that an event that means so much to so many is continuing its now eight-year tradition.
"We went through all the headaches and heartaches and everything to get this thing to happen. But in return, it showed us what we mean and what this event means to our community," said Tillett.
On Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head, visitors will be able to see a massive array of custom cars, events showcasing those cars, enjoy vendor and food tents, enjoy a vibrant atmosphere and much more. There are also tons of self-guided tours and cruise-in events at local businesses. On Saturday, there will be a beach road cruise with a police escort. You can find the entire event schedule at the website here.
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