Summer events in Ladysmith are always a crowd pleaser for community members and the 21st annual Show 'n' Shine on Saturday (Aug. 17) was no exception.
"There’s an atmosphere with Ladysmith’s downtown, the old buildings, the history, it all blends and really helps to make the car show a huge attraction," Ron Hovestead, a volunteer with the organization, said.
Many unique vehicles were present at the show and not to be out done were the members of the Mid Vancouver Island Electric Vehicle Association, who came in a group with 13 different all-electric vehicles – including a Volkswagen van and a Cadillac sport utility vehicle.
While the show saw a slight dip in overall entries, there were still at least 220 participants. An estimated 6,000 to 7,000 people could be seen walking around downtown.
Every year the executive team of the Ladysmith event each pick a vehicle that they like the best. This year's 'Director At Large' award went to Paul Merkel with a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, while the secretary’s choice was Mike Rullo’s 1970 Dodge Charger.
The treasurer chose Colton Barnett’s 1995 Ford F250 XLT and the vice-chair’s pick was the 1968 Dodge Charger owned by Mike Boston. The final executive pick, the chairman’s choice, was Brad Evans’ 1965 Mercury Client.
The Fred Davidson Memorial trophy was presented to Don Ellis for his 1951 Ford Custom and the Little Valley Restoration trophy for best paint job was handed over to Mike Sumpter with his 1968 Chevrolet Corvette.
The Participants Choice award, for all folks who had a vehicle registered, was a 1934 Ford five-window coupe, which is owned by Murray Lamb.
Finally, the top three vehicles as selected by spectators included: Don Collier’s 1956 Monarch Richelieu in third place, Mike Boston’s 1968 Dodge Charger in second and taking the top spot was Chris Irving and his 1932 Ford Roadster.
The weekend was a busy one for car lovers in the surrounding region, with the Rod Run on Saturday evening and Beverly Corners Show & Shine the next day.
