Seventh-grader Lantie Spencer stood next to the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department’s fire truck Sunday at the 15th annual Firefly Cruise In.
“I am 12 years old, and I have been working with this fire station, Lexington Fire Department, for about three years now,” she said.
Spencer, daughter of volunteer firefighters Nicole and Douglas Spencer — who also is the director of the Oglethorpe County Emergency Management Agency — said she’s used to helping the station fundraise, but this was her first time doing so at a car show.
The fire truck was one of more than 40 vehicles surrounding the Oglethorpe County Courthouse in downtown Lexington last Sunday.
The event brings out community members of all ages. It also serves as one of the annual fundraisers for the Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce, with net proceeds of about $600 this year, said Linda Parish, a chamber board member and its tourism and hospitality director.
“Kids love cars. Men love cars. Women like pretty cars, cool music and just getting out on a Sunday afternoon,” she said.
Luke Lackore’s race car was one of the newest vehicles to enter the show.
Lackore, a Cobb County native and Oglethorpe County resident, built it throughout 2024 and 2025, with help from his family. The car, covered in advertisements for local sponsors like Slam Plumbing in Athens, isn’t usually so still.
He races it on dirt tracks around Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, reaching speeds of up to 90 mph.
“We just wanted a chance to bring the car out and show it off,” Lackore said. “Something different. It’s so close to home that I couldn’t say no.”
Randy Carter’s 91-year-old John Deere tractor doesn’t reach 90 mph. He said he doesn’t use it for its intended purpose at all, instead choosing to keep it as an antique.
Carter said the thick spokes on the wheels drew him to the vehicle when he first saw it 36 years ago.
Johnny Smith, a resident of Madison County, brought his 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air that has been in many shows. It used to be driven by his wife, who died five years ago.
Spectators wandered around the courthouse, looking at the vehicles, talking to their owners and enjoying food from vendors like Foods in Motion and 2nd Chance BBQ.
Tommy Landrum’s “Cruzin’ to the Oldies” kept everyone in good spirits with music from the 1950s through the early 1970s.
“It’s something for people to do in the community,” Parish said. “There’s not a whole lot to do out here, so we try to do events that will keep people in the county and give them something to look forward to.”