The 2017 edition of Hot Rod Sunday was the biggest yet.
The show and shine, which has relocated from Langley Township to Cloverdale, drew (by a preliminary rough estimate) around 400 hot rods and classic vehicles, as well as displays from the BC Vintage Truck Museum and the Canadian Military Education Centre.
Thousands of car fans turned out.
The event is sponsored by the BC Hot Rod Association (BCHRA).
Organizers said they are looking to make it an annual, community-wide country festival.
The free event along 176 and 176A Street in downtown Cloverdale runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with classic food fare, including hot dogs, hamburgers, cotton candy and lemonade, along with a stage with live rock ‘n’ roll music, a kids zone, and nearly 20 vendors, offering everything from memorabilia to car appraisals.
The hot rod event is considered “one of the first key parts to building a new Cloverdale Country Festival,” according to a press release from the Cloverdale BIA.
The BCHRA approached the BIA last year and pitched the idea of hosting the show and shine in the Cloverdale town centre. jumped at the opportunity to bring classic cars back to the downtown business centre.
About 15 years ago, Cloverdale hosted an annual Country Festival that included a car show. It was the precursor to the once-popular Blueberry Festival, which stopped running in 2015.
The BIA was interested in resurrecting aspects of the original Country Festival but “the blueberries was something we kind of wanted to leave in the past,” said Paul Orazietti, executive director of the Cloverdale BIA.
“The goal is to come back and add activity throughout the whole town centre,” he said.
“We hope to make downtown Cloverdale a permanent home for the show,” said Walt Wagner, BCHRA director.
The BCHRA supports the communities that host its car shows by putting thousands of dollars into local charities.
The event doesn’t charge spectators admission, but it does charge $20 to enter a vehicle. All net proceeds of the show are donated to the charity.
The upcoming July 16 show will benefit the Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association (VTEA), a registered charity that provides therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults of varying abilities. Over the years, the BCHRA has given the VTEA more than $150,000.
Photos by Dan Ferguson.
