Weekend Events Saturday, September 7 & Sunday, September 8

Independent from the Grand Prix Festival

Fill Your Weekend With Motorsports & Family Fun!

IMRRC Center Conversation
"100 Years of MG" narrated by Glen Moore
"One Track Mind" the new book by artist Bob Gillespie
Saturday, September 7 from 1-3PM

After the excitement of Friday's Grand Prix Festival, you are invited to a very special Center Conversation event at the International Motor Racing Research Center on Saturday, September 7 from 1-3PM. Glen Moore is a noted MG Historian, Enthusiast, Restorer, Writer, Racer and Owner of the Bob Fergus MGTD that competed in the 1952 Queen Catherine Cup race here at The Glen. Glen will offer a fascinating commentary on both the manufacturing and racing heritage of the car we honor as our featured marque at the Festival.

Noted local artist and race enthusiast, Bob Gillespie will share the dais as he introduces his new book "One Track Mind" to the public during Festival weekend. The book will feature 95 paintings, 25 drawings, and 4 murals that will chronicle more than 50 years of Bob's amazing and evocative racing artwork.

Attendees should first check in at the International Motor Racing Research Center at 610 S. Decatur Street, Watkins Glen. The program will be held at the Elementary School Auditorium which is a short walk across the parking lot. After the formal program, both gentlemen will return to the Research Center. Glen to speak more about MG history and the Fergus car which will be on display, and Bob to sell and autograph copies of "One Track Mind".

Make your Festival weekend more complete by joining us for this great program. Admission is free. For more information, call the IMRRC at (607) 535-9044.

One of the greatest racing movies of all time, the 1966 classic "Grand Prix" starred James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, and Yves Montand with cameo appearances by drivers Phil Hill, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Dan Gurney, Jochen Rindt among others. Directed by the legendary John Frankenheimer the movie won 3 Academy Awards for technical achievement. As exciting and breathtaking to watch today as it was in 1966, the Glen Theatre is proud to sponsor this ONE TIME ONLY Showing... AND for only $5.00... $3.00 LESS than a ticket to the 1966 US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen!

Our drive takes us from Seneca Lake to Cayuga Lake then back to Watkins Glen. The route will take us along the NYS designated scenic byway with excellent opportunities to view Seneca and Cayuga lake. We have three stops scheduled during our drive. The first stop is at Taughannock State Park to view Taughannock Falls. The second stop is for lunch at the Ginny Lee Cafe/Wagner Vineyard. The third and final destination is at Shequaga Falls where you will get an opportunity to photograph your car in front of the falls. The total distance is 57 miles with each stop roughly 30-minutes apart.

Entry Fee: $0

Eligible Cars: All Porsche makes & models are welcome to attend

Registration: No pre registration required please arrive promptly by 10:30

Drive Schedule:

10:30: Arrive/Check In at Tops Markets 504 Franklin Street

11:00: Depart for Taughannock Falls Overlook

12:00: Depart for Ginny Lee Cafe (Responsible for paying for your own lunch)

1:30-2:00: Depart for Shequaga Falls

Link to map: 356 Watkins Glen Drive

Ginny Lee Cafe Menu: Ginny Lee Cafe

Finger Lakes Trail Hike
Saturday, September 7, 2024 Starts At 9:30 AM

How about going for a nice hike? Not every activity has to involve noise and motors.

The Ithaca Hikers will be doing Hike # 41 on their hit parade. Details are here

All of their hikes are just 2 hours and this one will start promptly at 9:30 in the morning. Nothing to sign up for. Just show up, on time, and ready to go on a real hike on a section of the Finger Lakes Trail. This particular hike will be led by Casey (AKA Mr. Keep Up With The Car Ahead). But much to your surprise, you will not be asked to keep up with anyone. It will be an out and back hike. So you can go at your own pace, or lack thereof, and turn around at the one hour mark. This hike starts just a few miles east of Watkins Glen.

Glen Region of the SCCA will be putting on an autocross. You can go and watch or better yet you can go and participate. They even have loaner helmets available. Put a little extra air in your tires, clean out all of the extra stuff floating around inside your car and you are ready to go.

Schedule of Day's Events

Registration 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Late Registration ($10 penalty fee) 9:00 am - 9:30 am
Tech inspection 8:00 am - 9:30 am
Drivers meeting and Worker assignments 9:15 am - 9:30 am
Novice walk 9:30 am - 9:45 am
Report to Worker Stations 9:45 am
Line up 10:00 am
Last car Approximately 4:00 pm
Awards After last car and course pickup
Check with event chair to be sure!

Fees
SCCA Members: $40
Non-members: $60
Late registration: $10
Protest fee: $20

Helmets meeting the following standards must be worn while on course:
Snell Memorial Foundation standards EA 2016, SA2020, SA2015, SA2010,
SAH2010, M2020D, M2020R, M2015, M2010, K2020, K2015, K2010;

Note we provide loaner helmets.

Find out more: What is Solo?

Event Details and Location Links

Advance Registration

Glen Region SCCA General Information and Schedule

You can go to Lafayette Motorsport Park and watch LMP Series Race #10 for free, or pay a very small amount for a pit pass that gets you everywhere except onto the track. They are only a few miles from Route 81, so you might want to travel east, catch the race, and then go north or south on 81 to get home. By the way, you will even get a chance to watch Casey and some other folks who are part of the Grand Prix Festival racing there.

This program is geared towards children, but all ages are welcome!

The Schuyler County Historical Society, in partnership with the Village of Watkins Glen, is hosting a special afternoon of music and history at Lafayette Park in Watkins Glen on Sunday, Sept. 8, starting at 1 p.m.

The Chamber Band will start the celebration with their folk and Americana music. The Sweet Escape Ice Cream truck will offer delectable treats beginning at 1 p.m. as well, and the Historical Society will have cookies, iced tea and lemonade for sale. Car show at East end of park.

Lafayette Park was given to the community by Dr. Samuel Watkins in 1842. A brief history of this wonderful, multi-purpose green space will be presented by the Historical Society at 2:30 p.m. High school summer interns at the Society's Brick Tavern Museum in Montour Falls have created a display about the park's history for the event.

At 3 p.m., the Southern Tier Brass Quintet, featuring Watkins Glen's own Jud Spena, will entertain with a captivating brass performance. A grant from the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes is supporting this unique performance.

Jud is a retired teacher, serving 32 years, the last 24 years as Music Department chair and director of Fifth and Sixth Grade Bands in the Chenango Valley Central School District near Binghamton. He is a member of the Binghamton Philharmonic and Tri Cities Opera orchestras. Jud attributes his early musical inspiration to the Watkins Glen band program and the Squires and Pages Drum and Bugle Corps, active in Schuyler County from the 1960s to the 1980s. He attended SUNY Brockport and holds degrees from Mansfield State College, Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland. Jud is the author of "Echoes in the Valley," a history of the Squires and other Schuyler drum and bugle corps activity from 1930 to 1982. A second edition of his book was published last year.

Please join us at Lafayette Park to celebrate the village's green space! Besides, who doesn't love ice cream, music and history!

Be sure to bring your lawn chairs!!