Wings and Wheels show to benefit charity
Fundraiser to double as coming out party for breast cancer survivor’s restored Mustang rag top
Breast cancer has taken many of the most important women in Tammy Peters’ life, and it almost claimed her, too.
But next weekend the only tears the cancer survivor will be shedding are those of joy as she displays her classic Mustang convertible at the inaugural Wings and Wheels car and aviation show. The two-day event will be the grand unveiling of the 1964.5 pony car after a fouryear restoration, and better yet, all the money raised during the show at Tradex in Abbotsford will be going to the Crystal Gala Foundation for Breast Cancer.
“This is so close to my heart,” said the Abbotsford resident. “It’s a sad thing, but it’s also a great thing to be raising money.”
Most of her family has the cancer gene, she said, and she has lost her mother, grandmother, aunts and sister to the disease. When her mother died, both she and her sister signed up for double mastectomies, but because they didn’t have cancer, they went to the bottom of the surgery list. Before they were called for the operations, each got cancer. Peters’ sister died. Peters beat it, and has been cancer free for nine years.
Peters’ husband Stew is a head mechanic at the world renowned 360 Fabrication custom car shop in Abbotsford, and she said the support the business and its employees provided to her family has been integral to her healing and good health.
“Just things like letting Stu take time off to take me to appointments, no questions asked.”
Wings and Wheels is being organized and produced by 360 Fabrication, whose charity of choice is the Crystal Gala Foundation.
“As a local business, we know about the important work this organization does for those facing this horrible disease, and we also know that their annual fundraising gala had to be cancelled due to COVID,” said 360 Fabrication president Rick Francoeur.
“We wanted to come up with a fun event that could continue to raise much-needed money for this cause.”
The two-day show is shaping up to be North America’s largest drive-thru vintage, hot rod, muscle car, exotic car and aviation show. There will also be tractors, trucks and military vehicles, and a number of food trucks.
And, of course, Peters’ Mustang. In fact, it was the 360 family that brought the Mustang into her life.
“Two years ago, Rick got a call from a man wanting to sell a car,” said Laura Ballance of her husband.
“Rick and I went to his house and under a tarp was a convertible Mustang which had seen better days.”
She noted that the older gentleman who owned it had dozens of photos on his walls of him and his wife in the car.
“It was their baby,” Ballance said. “He was such a nice old guy, and he said he wanted it to go to someone who would love it as much as his wife had.”
Ballance and Francoeur looked at each other. “Tammy!” they said in unison.
“Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved Mustangs,” Peters said. “Especially the convertibles.”
And so Peters and her husband went out to see the man and bought the project car. Stew has been doing most of the work during his time off — “He’s fantastic at that sort of thing,” said Peters — and while it still needs some interior work and minor mechanical work, its days on the open road are quickly approaching.
And where will Peters go when it’s ready?
“Everywhere,” she said with a big laugh. “Everyone I know has been promised that first ride. So it’s going to be a pretty crowded car.”
But even her closest friends will have to wait, as that coveted first spin will be with her grandchildren.
“They’ve been watching it come together since day one. And I have a five-year-old grandson who is
As a local business, we know about the important work this organization does for those facing this horrible disease.
very, very concerned that there needs to be a seat for him.
“This has made every day that much better. I saw such great potential in it when I first saw it, and I still do.
“It’s amazing how far it has come.”
The same could be said of its proud owner.