Fans of classic vehicles and car buffs took a trip down memory lane as Stettler Car Club hosted its annual show and shine last Saturday at Stettler Mall, before taking a cruise to Big Valley.
Almost 100 vehicles were featured in the show under sunny skies. Last year’s event was rained out and about 60 vehicles were on display two years ago.
“It was a good day for a show and cruise,” club vice-president Dan Hiller said after Saturday’s show.
“After all the rain, it’s nice to have good weather, which helps with the turnout of vehicles and spectators.”
With many vehicles from the host club and the Stettler region, others on display travelled from Castor, Coronation, Sylvan Lake, Innisfail, Drumheller, Camrose and Cochrane.
“We ended up having just over 100 vehicles, and the public turned out in great numbers, with about 1,000 people throughout the day,” Hiller said.
“We had vehicles that spanned almost 100 years, from 1918 to the present.”
As with most car shows, each vehicle has a history of its own, and many have deep roots in the owner’s family.
A 1967 Plymouth Satellite has become a precious vehicle for Stettler’s Ray O’Hara, twice the owner of that same vehicle.
“I bought it in 1970 and we used it as the family car,” O’Hara said. “Then I sold it in 1978.”
When he sold the car, O’Hara told the new owner he would want to buy it back if he wanted to sell it.
So, after many years, O’Hara bought it back in 1995.
“I always wanted to buy it back, because it has such sentimental value,” said O’Hara, who now only drives the car in the summer months and takes it to car shows.
Bill Lee owns a 1951 Chevrolet half-ton truck that has been in the Stettler family for six decades.
“It’s been in the family for 60 years,” Lee said. “My dad bought it, and then I decided to restore it.”
Prizes were awarded in various categories:
People’s choice — Dave McCourt of Stettler for a 1954 Nash Metropolitan.
Club choice — Rob Griffiths of Galahad for a 1961 Pontiac Laurentian.
Best Ford — Kent Vaniderstine of Cochrane for a 1968 Ford Mustang.
Best General Motors — Don Bewer of Sylvan Lake for a 1948 Chevrolet pickup truck.
Best mopar — John Nichols of Stettler for a 1973 Dodge Challenger.
Best non-domestic — Greg McKenna of Stettler for a 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Best young gun 25 and under — Thomas King of Stettler for a 1977 Pontiac Firebird.
Lloyd Smith Memorial for best stock pre-1960 — Lance Bell of Red Deer for a 1956 Buick.