Show ‘n’ Shine coming to park on Father’s Day
The annual Father’s Day Show ‘n’ Shine will be glittering in the Sunday sun like a fresh coat of Plum Crazy on the sweeping fender of an Auburn Boattail.
The Cruisin’ Classics Prince George car club and thousands of their closest friends will gather on the southern lawns of Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park to view some of the city’s most cherished automobiles. Each one of them is displayed by proud owners who love to tell the stories of their vehicular treasures, have the public take a close look, get photos taken, and be around other car enthusiasts. This is the 44th annual edition of the event.
“We have quite a few new project cars going to be there. They’ll be making their debut,” said George Windsor, one of the veterans of the club. “There will also be some old favourites people love to come and see. Such a variation of stuff shows up. We have the antiquers, the hot-roders, the 4x4ers, the importers, the truckers, just about any category of classic machine you can think of. It really touches on many interests.”
Another first this year at the Father’s Day Show ‘n’ Shine is the on-site firetruck. The Prince George Fire Department will have an operational speedwagon from their fleet so the public can get an up-close tour of the emergency vehicle.
“We usually end up with 350400 display vehicles,” Windsor said.
“We’ve had rain-outs and still had 300 people show up to put their beauties on display. People just love showing off their cars and trucks and motorcycles. And a lot of people in the city might not realize what a wonderful park we have until they get there and starting walking around.”
They do it in unprecedented numbers. Few local outdoor events in modern history can claim the thousands of participants each year that the Cruisin’ Classic Car Club attracts for this event.
“It’s been so successful for us over the years,” Windsor said.
“We have to tweak it here and there, but there are no major changes planned. This event works really well the way it is.”
Windsor is one of about 65 members currently in the club. He, like many other car fans associated with the club, roll on to other show ‘n’ shine gatherings elsewhere. He will be in Vernon, Penticton and Dawson Creek later this summer at their events.
He and wife Virginia were among 12 people from Prince George who took part in the coast to coast classic car tour last summer that formed into a convoy of more than 100 vehicles that made the cross-Canada trek.
Their passion for the motorcar goes beyond one Father’s Day event a year.
The Prince George Cruisin’ Classics has regular meetings, they have supported other not-forprofit causes in the community like hospice, school playgrounds and an annual scholarship for a student at CNC.
One of the ways they show their community connection is the parade they put on each Friday preceding the show ‘n’ shine. They roll as a group to six of the city’s elder citizens homes.
“A lot of these people can’t get out to the Show ‘n’ Shine itself so we do a rolling car show that goes to them,” said Windsor.
“Some of the residents look forward to it all year. The comments we get to hear are priceless. It’s a major part of the pride we have in what we do, when we get to show up together at those places.”
Those who can attend at the park on Sunday will encounter a buffet of automotive beauty, live music, food vendors and family fun.
Anyone who wants to display their vehicle – anything from artifact to futuristic – can get information at the Cruisin’ Classics Prince George website or they can present themselves at the registration table (located on 20th Avenue in between Magnolia Gardens and Gyro Baseball Park) earlier than 9 a.m. that morning.
Trailers can be stored at the nearby REAPS compound for those who don’t drive their shiny babies on the open road.
The public is invited to tour the vehicles parked in the park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free of charge.