Nice sunny weather starts to bring out some great classic vehicles. One of the best showcases to see hundreds of these icons of days gone by is the Ladysmith Show n Shine.
This year is the 21st event the local volunteer group has put on. The volunteers work hard to make the show a success and one of the big attention grabbers is the show’s posters.
“We have a great art group locally so we figured why don’t we get them involved," said Martin Byrne, show chair. "They put out a call to interested artists and we approached the local Big O Tire dude, Tim Mitton, about sponsoring the poster and he donated the $500 prize for the contest.”
Mitton, who has had the local tire shop for more than 15 years said, “The show is a real highlight for me. It’s so great to see so many people walking up and down First Avenue, and all the colour and amazing vehicles. Downtown is vibrant and I’m glad that I can help out. Community is important and if I can help, that makes me feel good. These volunteers work hard and it shows and I hope to see it go one for years!”
Byrne said he's excited about this year's poster which he describes as “very unique, but it’s also very Ladysmith!"
"Our posters have become collectors items. We put them out every year and they go missing. We replace them and quite often they are gone again, and that’s all up and down the Island.”
The group’s poster for 2024 was designed by Sydney Morgan, who is originally from Ladysmith.
“I grew up in Ladysmith, both of my parents, Steven and Laurie Morgan, are from Ladysmith. My dad was a founding member of the Ladysmith car club, and his friends group started the Ladysmith Show 'n' Shine.”
Morgan was raised around cars.
“When I was born I came home from the hospital in a '65 Pontiac Acadian. My dad has a beautiful '68 AMC Javelin. I drive a 2000 New Beetle which is lifted about six inches with a bush bar, KC Hilites and a roof basket. My brother has an imported right-hand drive Subaru Legacy Blitzen. Many people will have seen my mom's colour-shifting purple-blue VW Wolfsberg Golf. We're car people.
“I’ve always loved art, and after high school studied at University of the Arts in London, England. I came back in 2018 after 10 years and started working as a graphic designer. I currently work for M2 Graphix in Langford and specialize in vehicle wraps. I love designing wraps for classic cars, super cars, or anything interesting. Although I do a lot of Sprinter vans, and they can be fun too.”
The Ladysmith Show ’n’ Shine event takes place on Saturday, Aug. 17.
“Since we moved the show to downtown, it has grown immensely. The venue has made it a real attraction for not just the car owners but also for the spectators,” said longtime volunteer Duck Paterson. “The cars lined up along the street by the trees and the heritage buildings has a great look and feel to it. The group has always wanted to have the show be not just about the cars but about the town and what it is that makes Ladysmith special, the people."
