In less than a decade, the Osoyoos Cactus Jalopies Show and Shine has become one of the premier car shows in British Columbia.

The organizers of the 2015 event are confident that the 10th anniversary of Cactus Jalopies will be the best yet.

“We’ve come a long way in 10 years,” said Francine Launier, the organizer of the event for the past several years and the mother of J. F. Launier, the local hot rod builder who came up with the idea for a car show in Osoyoos.

The first Cactus Jalopies Show and Shine took place in the parking lot of a local hotel with about 125 custom cars and trucks on display.

The event then moved to 78th Avenue near the Canada Post office for several years and was held at Kinsman Park near the Rattlesnake Canyon Amusement Park in the east end of town for one year.

This will be the sixth consecutive year the event will be held in Gyro Park and Launier is hoping that more than 300 custom made cars, trucks and motorcycles will be on display for the 2015 event, which will take place on Saturday, June 6.

“Ever since we moved Cactus Jalopies to Gyro Park, we have gotten bigger and better crowds every single year,” she said. “Last year we had more than 250 vehicles and we’re hoping we might get close to 300 this year. We’ve had people calling us from all over B.C. and Alberta and a lot from Oregon and Washington State telling us they will be bringing their vehicles to our show this year.”

Her son’s modified 1964 Riviera, which captured the prestigious Ridler Award for top hot rod at the 2014 Detroit Autorama, will be on display at this year’s Cactus Jalopies event, she said.

The award-winning vehicle is returning to Osoyoos in the next couple of weeks after J. F. Launier travelled to Europe to show it at a huge car show in Sweden several weeks ago.

Several car owners from across the South Okanagan who own beautiful and expensive cars and belong to the new Area 27 sports car club will be bringing their vehicles to Osoyoos for the show this year.

So will Dale Gerry, a car owner from West Kelowna, who will be showcasing his 1948 vehicle that has been valued at well over $1 million, said Launier.

Cactus Jalopies Show and Shine not only showcase some beautiful cars and trucks, but it’s also a wonderful family day, she said.

“We’re introducing a pancake breakfast for the first time that will be run by the Rotary Club of Osoyoos,” she said. “The Rotary Club will also run the beer garden throughout the day.

“There will also be games for the kids and we’ll have our beer garden available once again. The motorcycle stunt racing team, which has become such a big part of our event, will also be returning to entertain the thousands of people who will be attending the show.”

Organizers have turned the car show into a full weekend event with three wine tours organized to visitors to town on the night before the show.

The weekend festivities continue Sunday morning June 7 with the Wine Country Racing Association running drag races on the landing strip at the Osoyoos Airport. Their season kicks off on Sunday, May 24.

The amount of community support for Cactus Jalopies has been tremendous over the years, she said.

“We’re very thrilled with the amount of support we’ve received,” she said. “Cactus Jalopies is now the second-biggest annual event right behind Canada Day and we’re very proud of that.”

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times