A new weekly event in Elmira is attempting to fill the void left by the relocation of a former car show in Elora.
Spanky’s BBQ Cruise Night announced in May that it was relocating to Holstein. Not wanting to make the drive, Mike Balog and a few other Elmira residents decided to start a cruise night of their own.
Now a few weeks in, the gathering that takes place Thursday at the Canadian Tire parking lot at 6:30 p.m. is filling the void.
Response has already been strong, says Balog.
“We had I believe it was close to 100 the first week and just a little over 100 the second week, which kind of surprised me because it was the beginning of the long weekend. So I think it’s going pretty well.”
While many car shows have a theme, Balog has invited anyone who wishes to participate to do so.
“We don’t have any restrictions – we have our classic cars or hotrod types of cars, but there’s also been some newer cars, Mustangs and Camaros that have joined in. We encourage them to come out as well,” he said.
Along with Canadian Tire providing the parking space, Balog partnered with Smokin’ Q Bar-B-Q to put on the event.
“I just love seeing that people are actually out and enjoying the community again, being together and seeing crowds. A lot of people need that for their own mental health, so to be able to just be a part of something like that, bringing community together, is basically one of the main reasons why,” said Smokin’ Q owner Cherylanne Weber.
“Especially with what we’ve just come through COVID. I just think when everyone is doing their own thing, people become more distant, there becomes a lot more issues medically, mentally. So it’s just to me, it’s important that people are doing things and supporting each other,” Weber said.
It is also a family friendly event, she added.
“It’s just a fun thing in the evening to do with your kids, especially if they’ve got young boys to see all the hotrods,” she said.
With several other car shows happening in the region, Balog has added extra incentive for residents to attend on weekly basis.
“We’re providing music. We’re providing raffle prizes. Smokin’ Q is providing really good food. As long as we can get it started then I think it’ll maintain its longevity all by itself.”
However the main focus is on the cars.
“Car guys are a different breed. They come out and they talk to each other. They talk about problems they’re having with their vehicles, other people there will help or offer suggestions on what they might try to fix whatever their issues are. Some just like showing off their vehicles and just having a site that’s provided for them by us allowing them to do that,” he said.
Weber sees the event growing as the summer goes on.
I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh, I’ve got an old car. This is gonna make me want to get it going and bring it out.’ Based on what the car people are telling me, it’ll keep growing,” she said.
