Members of this year’s Rally North America Sunshine Rally get ready to leave the Olympic Speedskating Oval in Lake Placid on the morning of Tuesday, July 9. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — Mayor Art Devlin spent a few minutes early Tuesday morning, July 9, standing in front of dozens of vehicles at the Olympic Speedskating Oval as he welcomed about 80 people to the village before continuing their 900-mile Sunshine Rally.

It was a sunny day, with views of the Adirondack High Peaks underneath a bluebird sky, and Devlin wished drivers and their passengers well in the coming days as they traveled through northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as a tropical weather system was predicted to make driving conditions challenging later in the week.

“It looks like I’m going to get you out of the village before there’s any rain,” he said. “On Wednesday, Hurricane Beryl is coming up. I think you’re going to be done just ahead of that, too.”

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Wednesday and Thursday, warning residents in the Northeast of flash flooding due to heavy rainfall from post-tropical cyclone Beryl. Beryl reached category 5 status in the Caribbean Sea before weakening and slamming into the Gulf of Mexico coast of Texas on Monday as a category 1 hurricane. Its remnants were expected to affect the roadways taken by Sunshine Rally participants all the way to Maine.

Rally North America’s Sunshine Rally — traveling along the back roads of the Northeast to raise money for Camp Sunshine — began at the Pine View Auto & Country Club in Lafayette, New York, just south of Syracuse, on Sunday, July 7, arrived in Lake Placid on Monday, left the Adirondacks on Tuesday and ended in Maine on Wednesday.

Videographer Sedrick Kirschman, left, of Four by Three Media, puts a lavalier microphone on the shirt of Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin Tuesday, July 9 before he spoke to participants of Rally North America’s Sunshine Rally at the Olympic Speedskating Oval. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

About 75 cars took part in this year’s scavenger hunt-style rally. Each day, the teams received route cards, detailing clues that described a location to visit or a task to be performed.

Established about 15 years ago, Rally North America was designed to bring automotive enthusiasts from the United States and Canada together for the purpose of auto rallying for a cause. They choose a different charity for fundraising each year. Since 2009, Rally North America has raised more than $2.5 million in direct donations for charities. Learn more about Rally North America at rallynorthamerica.com.

This year’s cause is Camp Sunshine, located on the shores of Sebago Lake in Casco, Maine, which supports children with life threatening illnesses and their families. Families with a child diagnosed with diseases such as cancer, kidney disease, lupus, solid organ transplants, and other life threatening illnesses attend one of the week-long camps held throughout the year. This year, more than $100,000 has been raised for Camp Sunshine and the families it serves, and Rally North America has raised more than $500,000 for the camp over the years. Learn more about Camp Sunshine at www.campsunshine.org.

“On behalf of myself and the village of Lake Placid, let me officially welcome you to the North Country,” Devlin told the rally participants. “I don’t know about you, but I think there’s some really great roads up here, and from what I can see, you’ve got some really great vehicles and some really great people. I hope you have a lot of fun.”

The mayor spoke about New York state’s multi-million-dollar investment in upgrading the Olympic venues in preparation for the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games and how it set the village up for more international sports competitions in the future. Then he put on his chamber-of-commerce-style hospitality hat and invited the group to visit again.

Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin Tuesday, July 9 speaks to participants of Rally North America’s Sunshine Rally at the Olympic Speedskating Oval. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

“I realize that you’ve been here only a short time, and I hope while you were here you had a chance to get out and see some of our unique shopping and restaurants both on and off Main Street,” he said. “And in closing, I hope that you enjoyed your time here and either come back individually or as a group and that we’ll see you again.”

A Rally North America photographer gives a thumbs up after taking the Sunshine Rally group photo on Tuesday, July 9 at the Olympic Speedskating Oval. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Members of this year’s Rally North America Sunshine Rally get ready to leave the Olympic Speedskating Oval in Lake Placid on the morning of Tuesday, July 9. (News photo — Andy Flynn)