The 16th annual Ladysmith Show ‘n’ Shine, is taking over Ladysmith’s downtown this coming Saturday, and is bringing with it automotive treasures, some priceless, for all levels of motoring enthusiasts. Between, the up and coming electric vehicles, (EVs) to the cars that brought us the Beach Boys to modern day muscle cars and pretty well everything in between.
“We’re hoping to have 200 or more participants,” show chair Duck Paterson said. “The cars and trucks from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were a unique type of art form”, he said. “There is something that brings back memories for many, ideas for some and just plain awe for most. The time and dedication that many folks put into restoring these unique pieces is amazing, let alone the dollars it takes.”
Registration for the show starts at 8:00 am with the actual show beginning at 10:00 am and running right until 3:00 pm. 1st Avenue will be closed from Roberts St. north to Warren St. starting at 6am and will likely reopen by 4:00 pm.
The committee has worked tirelessly to put on this show that’s fit for the whole family, but they do encourage residents and visitors alike to not bring pets downtown for the Show ‘n’ Shine as walking for hours in crowds on hot pavement is not ideal for them.
“Our show is not a regimented as others” Paterson said, “we do have a few awards to hand out, but mostly it’s meant to be fun for all spectators, visitors and participants.”
“We also hope that the downtown business community also gets on board with specials for visitors as well as sidewalk features, etc. One of the goals, of the show, is to bring visitors to our community and downtown so they can see what we have and show it off.”
As part of the show, the Lion’s Club will be having their concession, and the Kinsmen will be hosting a beer garden in the library parking lot along with barbecuing ribs. There are also local sponsors will be have booths set up along 1st Avenue and the museum will be having a garage sale in their parking lot.
For the second year in a row, the Cops for Cancer have included the Show n Shine as part of the itinerary in their first “mock” ride of Tour de Rock. The whole team, plus police escort, will be arriving at the stage downtown (High St. and First Ave.) between 10:00 am and 10:30 am. They will be stopping for a while to greet folks and tell them about the Tour de Rock.
“Last year once all the dust had settled after the show, we had funds left over which the committee turned into a bursary for a student taking automotive studies at Vancouver Island University,” Paterson said.