Welcome back Driver Days
Published 8:27 pm Wednesday, October 17, 2018
The Driver Days Fall Festival returns this weekend to the streets of Suffolk’s vibrant neighborhood at the intersection of Kings Highway and Nansemond Parkway. This is the festival’s 25th year of vendors selling wares, musical performances, car and motorcycle shows, exciting contests and other events scheduled that will return on Saturday and Sunday.
The festivities will begin on Saturday morning with the StrongWILL 5K and Kids One-Mile Fun Run and Walk. Packet pickup will be at 6:30 a.m. up to the start of the 5K at 7:30 a.m. and the one-mile route at 8 a.m. The event honors William West, the brother of event organizer April Brooks, who passed away from a drug overdose in 2016.
Following that will be the kickstart to Driver Days itself with Saturday’s opening parade at 10 a.m. It’s one of the most popular festival attractions and draws antique show cars, motorcycle groups, marching bands, dance studios and various organizations throughout Hampton Roads.
“The parade always is the opening to Driver Days,” Festival Chair Terri Johnson wrote in an email. “It allows all the different organizations and groups and even people in the neighborhood to show their support for Driver.”
There will be a wide array of vendors on Saturday and Sunday selling jewelry, art and other favorites as families enjoy the children’s fair, monster truck rides and wing eating contests. Two cornhole tournaments are scheduled for Saturday and an all-day tournament for Sunday.
Classic cars will cruise into Berea Christian Church on Driver Lane on Saturday for the 22nd annual Driver Car Show. Registration will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the show will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On Sunday, the Sherri Parker Memorial Poker Run will have motorcyclists riding into the festival for the Parade of Bikes, another favorite for the crowds. The poker run was originally introduced as a memoriam for Parker, who died in a motorcycle accident.
Proceeds from Driver Days go to the Driver Volunteer Fire Department, Suffolk Humane Society and other local charities, so visitors can enjoy Driver’s small-town charms while supporting a number of good causes.
“It’s such a great little area,” Johnson said.
Visit driverevents.com for more information.