Northern Nevada’s Hot August Nights celebration is known for hot nights and warmer days, fancy classic cars, and even music and food that takes spectators back to days gone by. And for some, it means much more than those things. To some, it means family.
There are many Hot Augusts Nights entrants and enthusiasts who share their love of cars with family members. Here are the short stories of a few.
Dave Schnepp
The 49-year-old is the definition of a car guy. Schnepp’s grandfather and father both worked in the automotive body and paint industry for more than 50 years. He wasn’t about to break that occupational bond.
“I’ve been around [cars] all my life and now I own a local automotive repair shop. It’s kind of who I am,” Schnepp says.
The 1993 Reed graduate doesn’t just enjoy HAN. He gives back. Schnepp is the chairman of HAN’s drag race committee. He said he’ll keep volunteering as long as they’ll have him, stressing that his biggest love for HAN is how the foundation is a supportive presence throughout the year.
"We give back to the community far more than just one week in August,” he says. “We do fundraisers all year long. We give to kids in need. We give back school supplies. We give shoes to kids. The Foundation is a huge contributor in a lot of ways.”
Schnepp’s sister Heidi will be attending HAN as well, entering her 1964 Buick Special convertible. Schnepp has a 1972 Chevy Vega he enters. They restored the cars together with their father.
“I’m very much ready for Hot August Nights,” Schnepp says. “I get so excited, but it also means I’ve got work to do."
Ron Connell
Connell grew up in Bishop, Calif., learning about cars from his father, a diesel mechanic. Connell, 71, lives in west Reno now and gets a little more revved up when the summer months roll along. That means Hot August Nights and a chance to showcase his five classic cars is just around the corner.
Connell, who earned two degrees from Cal-Poly SLO, has a 1927 open cockpit speedster, 1929 Chevy sedan, a 1931 Ford sedan, a 1948 Jeepster, and a 1969 Chevy Malibu. And then there’s the family pride and joy–a 1929 ore truck used to carry tungsten from the Bishop-area mines down into town.
While Connell learned to love cars at a young age from his father, he’s been sure to pass down the affection to his teen daughters–Michaela, 18, and Isabell, 16.
“I started wrenching when I was about six or seven years old,” he says. “I’ve restored the truck five times. My dad gave the truck to me. I started my girls working around the truck and I’ve given it to them. There’s three generations in that truck and we’ve had it for 60 years now.”
Mike Pachnik
Hot August Nights kicked off its legacy with its inaugural event in 1986. Mike Pachnik was barely out of high school at the time but he was there and he’s never missed the annual event.
Pachnik bought a 1957 Chevy at 19. "I got it pretty cheap,” he says. “A few years before I got it, it had been rolled and crashed onto its roof. It needed a lot of work."
“I had no intention of ever selling it and still don’t. It’s very much a part of our family. We drive around as a family. The kids are older now, but they grew up in it.”
Pachnik serves as a HAN volunteer on its operations committee. Last year his niece, McKenna Hurn, served along with him. Pachnik’s father, David, has also caught the vintage car bug. Ten years ago, he joined his son as a classic car guru when he purchased a 1966 Oldsmobile 442 from a Barret-Jackson auction.
The younger Pachnik recently added to his garage when he picked up a 1941 Cadillac. He said it’s a few years away from being HAN ready but he’s excited for the restoration.