Mustang Island will live up to its name this weekend as MustangFest 2009, the celebration of the 45th birthday of the Ford Mustang, will be held in Port Aransas – on Mustang Island.

The event will draw Mustang owners, from current to classic vintage models, to a celebration that will be a lead up to the 50th birthday in 2014 of what has been called America’s most popular car.

A car show, auction and concert at Island Moorings Yacht Club and Marina on Saturday, Oct. 3, will be the focal point of the event that begins today, Thursday, Oct. 1, in San Antonio.

Event producer Tom Hartford said Mustang owners from the South Texas Mustang Club will join members of the San Antonio Mustang Club in downtown San Antonio for an evening celebration. They will regroup tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 2, and caravan to Corpus Christi. After a stop there to meet with media, they will continue to Port Aransas.

The festival will headquarter at the Island Moorings Yacht Club and Marina where spectators are invited to view the Mustangs, vote on their favorites, and enjoy a variety of entertainment.

“We’re exited to be part of this, hopefully annual, event, said Debbie Dean, marina manager.

The show will be set up in the parking lot area between Island Moorings Parkway and the yacht club and marina, according to Dean. Public parking will be on Piper Boulevard, adjacent to the Mustang Beach Airport, and along Island Moorings Parkway. Spectators also have the option of parking in town and taking the 25-cent trolley to the show. The trolley makes a 45-minute circuit through town, and stops include the airport-yacht club/marina area from 10 a.m. until just

before 6 p.m. Riders can flag down the trolley anywhere along the route. A route map is available in the South Jetty Visitors’ Guide, which is available in print at the newspaper office, 141 W. Cotter Ave., convenience stores, the Family Center IGA and various accommodations and retail stores, as well as online at www. portasouthjetty.com. Click on the icon of the Visitors’ Guide cover at the top left of the page.

The car show Saturday will start at 1 p . m . when Mustangs and other Ford products will be on display on the yacht club grounds, where food and beverages will be sold.

Spectators may vote for their favorite “rides” from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

An auction to benefit CASA of the Coastal Bend (Court Appointed Special Advocates) will start at 3 p.m.

At 5 p.m., Mustang Elvis, an Elvis Presley impersonator, will arrive to perform his Jailhouse Rock Show. He will sign autographs after the show ends at 6:30 p.m.

Irie Time, a Houston group that plays tropical rock, will perform hits including Island Romance and Oh Jah Jah from 7 to 10 p.m.

Most venues are free and family friendly, but spectators should confirm in advance, Hartford said.

Before the show opens to the public, participants will take the Island Mustang Cruise on Saturday morning. Groups of Mustangs from clubs around the state will leave Port Aransas, ride across the ferry and take the Harbor Bridge into Corpus Christi, circle the bay and return to the Island Moorings Yacht Club.

For more information about the event, go to www. mustangfest.info.

MUSTANGFEST 2009

WHAT: CAR SHOW, MUSIC, FOOD BEVERAGES WHEN: SATURDAY, OCT. 1 TIME: 1 P.M. - 10 P.M. WHERE: ISLAND MOORINGS YACHT CLUB AND MARINA