Mustangs, Corvettes, Cadillacs among 100's of muscle cars racing up Snowshoe Mountain this weekend

The first annual West Virginia Hillfest is set to take over Snowshoe Mountain Resort from Aug. 9-11.

The event promises to be a festival of speed and excitement, as 175 drivers are scheduled to compete in hillclimb time trials to take home the bragging rights. Those visiting the mountain will be treated to a showcase of car exhibits, set in the beautiful picturesque backdrop of Pocahontas County. Throughout the weekend, car enthusiasts will revel in an atmosphere filled with music, exquisite food and breathtaking scenery.

Also on hand will be representatives from Jappalachia, a Japanese-style Drift Factory at the base of the Appalachian Mountains, to do drift demonstrations. They will have multiple vendor tents and three cars in the event.

The action starts on Friday, Aug. 9 with time trial hillclimbs taking place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A scenic drive is set for 5 to 7 p.m., while the Hillfest Bash takes place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with live music.

Saturday's schedule gets underway with The Ferrari Club of America's kickoff parade at 8:45 a.m. Following the parade, time trial hillclimbs run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the scenic drive from 5 to 7 p.m. and another Hillfest Bash from 7 to 10 p.m.

The event wraps up on Sunday with more time trial hillclimbs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

According to the Hillfest Facebook page, drivers already scheduled to compete in the time trial hillclimb include: Tracy Gaudu in a Chevrolet C6 Corvette Z06; Rob Dahm in a Mazda RX-7 Rotor Turbo; Erik Meadows in a Chevrolet Corvette; Zach Fugate in a Subaru, WRX; Chris Reed in a Subaru WRX; Matthew Longanacre in a Ford Mustang Cobra; Sebastian Gomez in a Rage 200 R/T Rally; Seth Monteleone in a Subaru BRZ; Joel Hollen in a Mazda Spec Miata; Andy Surprenant in a BMW 357; Abdullah "Tarik" Agcayazi in a Mazda Miata; Halley Morgan in a Hyundai Veloster N; Kendall Samuel in a Subaru Impreza; Jeff Coleman in a Cadillac Fleetwood; Sophia Skeens in a Dodge Challenger T/A 392; Najeeb Ahmed in a Chevrolet Corvette 2LX; Steven Baczuk in a BMW M3 Competition; Mary Samuel in a Subaru Impreza; Aaron Soffel in an Audi S3; Trav Stover in a Nissan Skyline GT-R; and Tyler Hicks in a Hyundai Elantra N.

For those seeking an exclusive experience, VIP packages are available for the weekend that includes upscale lodging, access to the event, parking, VIP Tent access and a FastPass for the Time Trial lineup.

Even if you're not into cars, Snowshoe Mountain Resort offers tons of fun for the entire family. Among the possibilities include golf, mountain biking, Adventure Tours, paddleboarding, kayaking, chairlift rides, sporting clays, lounge pools and RC Truck Crawler rentals.

For more information visit www.westvirginiahillfest.com or www.snowshoemtn.com.

FAMILY FUN -- The village at Snowshoe Mountain Resort always has lots of family oriented entertainment to enjoy throughout the weekend.Photo byBenjamin E. Simmons