OAKHURST, CA -- Sometimes a car lover is torn between taking a trip to see some beautiful scenery or taking in a car show to make the scene. An automotive themed film festival set in the gateway to Yosemite National Park offers a way to do both.
The Annual Southern Yosemite Automotive Film Festival scheduled for March 28th through 30th, 2008 in Oakhurst, California, the southern gateway to Yosemite National Park, will roll out with a slate of films, a car show and other events designed for car enthusiasts and their families.
Featuring car movies, racing documentaries and never before seen footage, as well as premieres of the latest car related films, the film festival offers something for everyone. A well-known film and automotive celebrity (the name is a big secret) will be the recipient of the “Southern Yosemite Lifetime Achievement Award” for his or her work in automotive films. Last year’s recipient was James Garner, for both his films “Grand Prix” and documentary “The Racing Scene” and his involvement in professional racing.
Due to popular demand, “The Racing Scene” will be shown again this year, at a Saturday luncheon featuring drivers Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan. Friday’s luncheon will feature a celebration of Riverside Raceway, with a film of the 1965 Times Grand Prix and commentary by those who raced there. And, now you can see hard to find films like “The Speed Merchants” as well as perennial favorites such as “LeMans” and “Days of Thunder” and some new, almost never before seen films such as John Schneider’s “Collier & Company – Hot Pursuit”.
Two dinners are scheduled; one featuring the presentation of the “Lee Iacocca Award” and Oscar Kovaleski of Can Am fame showing his home movies of Can Am racing, the other featuring a special screening of Bruce Kessler's "Sound of Speed” and a roast of Corvette racers Dick Guldstrand and Doug Hooper, Can Am drivers Scooter Patrick, Davey Jordan, Charlie Hayes and Oscar Kovaleski, Formula 5000 Champ Tony Adamowicz and Indy Car drivers Bill Vukovich II and Jerry Grant.
Events will be emceed by Tim Suddard of "Classic Motorsports" and Doug Stokes of Gale Banks Engineering. All of this takes place at the Oakhurst Community Center in downtown Oakhurst.
The film festival week also includes the “Spring In The Sierra” Car Show, this year featuring Sportscars and Racecars on the lawn at the community center plus automobilia, book and souvenir vendors and other auto racing related exhibitors from racetracks to go-karts.
For the younger set, the battery powered Kidracers will be competing on a course laid out in the parking lot.
To complete the film festival week, tours of Yosemite National Park, ski outings, golf tournaments, train rides on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railway and a variety of family oriented events are available.
Oakhurst is 4 ½ hours driving time north of Los Angeles and 3 hours east of the San Francisco Bay area. Airline service through Fresno Yosemite International Airport is 45 minutes away.
The film festival is a joint effort of the Community Service and Support Group Inc. and the Oakhurst Chamber of Commerce.
Most importantly, the proceeds all go to charities; Lee Iacocca’s Diabetes Foundation, the Children’s Hospital of Central California and the Harry Baker Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs.
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For a complete schedule of films, information about ticket purchases and accommodation availability, look at the film festival website – www.southernyosemite .
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