The (BCHRA) is rolling their annual show and shine into Cloverdale on Sunday, July 16, and organizers say they are looking to make it an annual, community-wide country festival.
For this first year, however, the focus is on building up the 鈥淗ot Rod Sunday鈥� event.
Hundreds of hot rods and classic vehicles will be on display, as well as displays from the BC Vintage Truck Museum and the Canadian Military Education Centre.
鈥淲e鈥檒l have all kinds of cars,鈥� said Walt Wagner, BCHRA director. 鈥淔rom hot rods to classic to vintage, muscle cars, the whole gamut.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檒l be something for everybody,鈥� added Dave Tomlinson, BCHRA director.
The show will take place on 176 and 176A Street in downtown Cloverdale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The free event will have classic food fare, including hot dogs, hamburgers, cotton candy and lemonade, along with a stage with live rock 鈥榥鈥� roll music, a kids zone, and nearly 20 vendors, offering everything from memorabilia to car appraisals.
Event鈥檚 goal to grow into a country festival
The hot rod event is 鈥渙ne of the first key parts to building a new Cloverdale Country Festival,鈥� according to a press release from the Cloverdale BIA.
The BCHRA approached the BIA last fall and pitched the idea of hosting the show and shine in the Cloverdale town centre. Paul Orazietti, executive director of the Cloverdale BIA, 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.
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The BIA was interested in resurrecting aspects of the original Country Festival but 鈥渢he blueberries was something we kind of wanted to leave in the past,鈥� said Orazietti.
Initially, Orazietti had planned to have 鈥淐ountry Festival components,鈥� such as a buskers festival, spread throughout the town centre, branching out into Brick Yard Station and Clover Square Village, but those elements will not take place this year.
Hot Rod Sunday wants to return annually
This is the first time the Hot Rod Sunday event has been hosted in Cloverdale, but the BCHRA is already looking to put down roots.
鈥淲e hope to make downtown Cloverdale a permanent home for the show,鈥� said Wagner.
鈥淲e go to shows all over the province, and the very best shows are in the community centres,鈥� said Tomlinson. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the best. The community supports us, and we support them. It鈥檚 a good match.鈥�
The BCHRA supports the communities that host its car shows by putting thousands of dollars into local charities.
The upcoming July 16 show will benefit the (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, according to Tomlinson.
The event doesn鈥檛 charge spectators admission, but it does charge $20 to enter a vehicle. All net proceeds of the show are donated to the charity.
Not only do both Wagner and Tomlinson want to see Hot Rod Sunday return to Cloverdale next year, they also want to see it grow into a Country Festival that can claim to be Surrey鈥檚 second-largest event. (After the Vaisakhi Day Parade, of course.)
That鈥檚 what Orazietti would like to see as well.
鈥淭he goal is to come back and add activity throughout the whole town centre,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a work in progress.鈥�
For more information on Hot Rod Sunday, visit .
