Show and Shine just around the corner

Times Contributor

 

Calling all gear-heads and car enthusiasts! The Strathmore Fun Runners will be presenting their 19th annual Show and Shine, July 20-21.

Drivers can begin showing off their cars Friday at 5:30 p.m. on a cruise throughout the town. The route will be making several stops including at the Strathmore Lodge Nursing Home and the Strathmore General Hospital. The ride will end on 2nd Avenue where a small show and shine will be taking place.  

Todd Blakney, owner of Muscle Motors and member of the Strathmore Fun Runners, thinks that this year will be different in the sense that more downtown business owners are taking an interest, and will be open later to accommodate guests and participants.

On Saturday, the Show and Shine will begin at 10 a.m. and continue to 4 p.m. Events throughout the day will include kids games, door prizes, beer gardens and live music. This year’s novelty raffle item will be a 50’s fashioned gas pump.

For 19 consecutive years and going strong, classic vehicles have been showcased throughout Kinsmen Park. Looking back, Blakney said the event started simply after finding interest and supporters from Strathmore and the area.

“It started with myself and another friend Stan Ulm, both gear heads, and liked the idea of going to other people’s shows and thought, what’s stopping us from doing something in Strathmore, and really that’s what it started with.”

The two began handing out flyers and organized a meeting which resulted in great response. 

“That very first meeting generated more people than the number of members we currently have today. 50 people showed up to that meeting, that’s really how it started, we weren’t the only two guys with cars.”

After 19 years, Blakney said it can be disheartening at times when the number of participants can stay between the 250-300 range. A large reason can be accounted to the fact that four other car shows will be taking place that weekend, including a larger venue in Calgary. Blakney stated that if people do not need to leave the city, they won’t.

“I’m always positive, I always like to see double the amount of cars, but after a while, there’s probably nothing we are doing wrong, maybe there’s more we could be doing advertising wise, but at the end of the day, it’s the response of the people. In the 19 years we have had a lot of the same people coming back that have been there right from day one and that’s kind of cool, getting to see those people year after year.”

Blakney really wanted to emphasize the Friday evening cruise and mini show and shine, something that a lot of other shows do not offer.

“Some people come to Strathmore for a whole different reason, there are people who have no interest in show and shines but would rather go to an event where they can drive their car. A number of people mention that they’d rather take a tour trip than being parked for four to five hours, waiting for the day to end.”

As a new member of Strathmore’s Fun Runners, Joel Blakney will be showcasing his 1968 Pontiac GTO, which received a lot of attention at the recent World of Wheels in Calgary, Feb 17-19. Gearing up for the upcoming show and shine, Blakney said all he needs to do is “have it ready and be there on time.”

“I just turned into a member this year because I didn’t have a car, so now I’m a member and I’ve been helping with the show for a number of years,” said Joel.

Being around the show and shine for a large portion of his life, Blakney stated he will most likely be helping out in the years to follow.

“Hopefully it’s a good show, hopefully there are a lot of cars and it’s a good turnout.”