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Venue Swap, 'Mustang II Reunion V' Fuel NE GA Club's 47th Fall Regional

HIAWASSEE, GA – With most every Mustang club show cancelled this past year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford fans had been holding out hope that car shows planned for late in the year could still take place with all the recommended safety protocols in place. But that hope began to fade for the Northeast Georgia Mustang Club, who discovered it could not host its yearly fall show in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, as originally planned because of state government pandemic guideline restrictions. But rather than cancel, organizers decided to make some key changes and move the show to where it could be done safely and legally -- at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, Georgia. This unique new venue, and the inclusion of the Mustang II Reunion V as part of the show, made the club’s 47th Annual Shelby Mustang & Ford Regional Car Show held on Saturday, October 3, 2020, one of the most notable in recent memory.

The mountain setting of the fairgrounds in Hiawassee offered a shady, rolling landscape with countless outbuildings and pavilions, including scores of vendor display sheds on both sides of the main entry road that played host to Mustang II Reunion V. That meant each of the registered cars got its own mini-garage display area. As a "show within the show" these reunions not only draw second-generation Mustangs from across the region, but give Mustang II owners the opportunity to meet and make friends with fellow owners, many of whom were not welcomed to take part in the Mustang hobby for years because of what today would be called the systemic prejudice that has prevailed against the Mustang II for so long.

Never heard of Hiawassee? Not only are there lots of things to see and do in this picturesque region, but the Northeast Georgia Mustang Club’s show organizers had added a Friday scenic cruise, along with limited tours of Jacky Jones' very private (and spectacular) collection of classic Mustangs and Fords (no cameras were allowed – sorry!). What’s more, that evening Ford Performance sponsored a special show welcome and Mustang II Reunion V meet & greet pizza party at the newly opened Memory Lane Classic Car Museum in nearby Young Harris, Georgia. While socially distanced there, Ford Performance spoke about its Club Connect program and handed out some door prizes, and club president Steve Harrison thanked his board of directors, show workers and attendees for the strong turnout. Mustang Club of America president Steve Prewitt also made an appearance, along with his own recently acquired 1975 Mustang II that he had entered in the show.

With a weather forecast of sunny and cool with highs expected in the mid- to upper 60’s, show day dawned with plenty of excitement about the new venue, which provided a more of a country fair setting than a regular car show. The II owners were thrilled to have each of their cars occupy all the vendor display sheds that lined the entrance road. One of then commented how ironic it was to see all the high-end Shelbys and restomods drive past all the little Mustang II’s that were up front while they had to drive into the woods for their own display area. But all owners, no matter what Mustang or classic Ford they happened to enter, seemed to love the new setup and surroundings at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds.