By Lizzie Ramirez | Photos by Cesar Lopez
The Hot August Nights official kickoff party rocked the streets of Reno on Monday with thousands of attendees filing in and out of the Peppermill Resort Casino.
Attendees barely made it inside the party before stopping to take photos with the classic cars.
Along with the line of cars, there were also pop-up canopies with vendors selling a wide variety of products, from food and drinks to knick-knacks, official event merchandise and even Donald Trump merch.
Despite the conservative merchandise, a wide range of people attended the event, creating a diverse environment.
A group of recent college graduates shared their appreciation for cars.
“Our brother used to take us to car shows growing up so we like getting to see all the different models,” Jordan Rood said. “There’s a lot of cars and coffee that was around the corner from our house, and it’s fun with people and their classic cars [to see] in the mornings.”
The group of graduates was aware of the incident of racism in Virginia City tied to festival attendees, but they said it didn’t stray them away from attending the kickoff party.
“I feel like there’s just been repetitive things happening in that area that are not good,” Kendall Borcherding, another recent college graduate, said. “And a big event that a lot of people should be able to go and celebrate — like anybody should be able to go — that shouldn’t be happening.”
Borcherding claims there is a petition cycling through Reddit asking Hot August Nights to not visit Virginia City anymore. This Is Reno could not find evidence of such a petition.
Despite the rocky start, the kickoff party was alive and thriving. Attendees were shuffling in and out, classic cars were driving through the lot with people watching in awe and a live band was performing. In front of the stage, older couples were dancing and cheering when their favorite songs were being played.
Hot August Nights has a list of events lined up every day through Sunday, Aug. 11.
