It’s time for fall festivals, and I love how each town in our area has its own unique signature event. No fall festival is more unique than New Carlisle’s Heritage of Flight, Oct. 5-7.

I’ve called it a festival on steroids in the past, and it promises to be even bigger this year.

Anyone who tries to drive north on Ohio 235 through that city this coming weekend will have to take a detour. Main Street in New Carlisle will be closed at 2 p.m. on Friday for the Heritage of Flight Festival. However, the streets will not be empty of vehicles. Nooooo.

The whole length of New Carlisle’s main drag will still be full since the Classic Car Cruise In begins at 4 p.m. Friday.

“Its crazy,” said Mark Spencer, chairman of the cruise in. “Cars will be coming in from all directions.”

If weather cooperates, Spencer expects that as many as 800 classic cars will arrive to set up within a couple of hours. There will have to be three different registration sites to accommodate all the arriving classics.

And he is not exaggerating.

Go to the website if you don’t believe me. Photos from a couple of years ago show classic cars diagonally parked for as far as the eye can see. Participants in the show will be eligible for door prizes. The first 500 registered will get specially designed dash plaques. There is no registration fee for classics, according to Spencer, but a donation would be appreciated.

Spencer, of Marx Body shop, has been busy this year spreading the word around the classic car community with ads and fliers. He is expecting a big turnout.

Last year’s damp chilly weather kept the numbers down to 300 to 350 cars, explained Spencer. However, it seems wrong to me to use the term “down” with that many cars.

I believe it is safe to say that the Classic Car Cruise In will be either big or, if the weather cooperates, huge.

There will also be a lot of other things to do that night in New Carlisle.

On a nearby stage, Fleez will set the mood with a fun mix of classic rock and roll. The Beer and Brat Hangar will have sports on its big screen. Honey Creek Presbyterian Church will have its wonderful Chicken and Noodle Dinner. The streets and parking lots will be filled with vendors, concessions and carnival rides. Some of the stores will also have expanded hours.

And then come Saturday and Sunday with even more stuff scheduled. It is going to be a fun-filled weekend.

For more information, lots of it, visit the festival’s cool website www.heritageofflight.com