Osoyoos classic custom car buff Tony Mellace displayed his beautiful and stylish Chevrolet Corvette during the 2013 Osoyoos Cactus Jalopies Show and Shine. Organizers are hoping as many as 200 vehicles will be on display on Saturday in Gyro Park. (Keith Lacey file photo)
An event that started with a few classic automobiles being put on display for a small audience of appreciate car buffs has grown into one of the more popular events in the Town of Osoyoos.
The 10th annual Cactus Jalopies Show and Shine will be held this coming Saturday at Gyro Park – this will be the fourth year the event has been held at the downtown park. The fun starts at 10 a.m.
As many as 200 classic automobiles, trucks and motorcycles are expected to be on display on Saturday, said event organizer Francine Launier, the mother of local classic car builder and event founder J.F. Launier.
“Last year we had 130, which was our biggest show in nine years, but we’re expecting maybe 200 this year because we just attended the Vancouver classic car show a couple of weeks ago and a coupler of large groups of people said they were definitely coming to Osoyoos this year,” said Launier.
“We’re expecting one or two groups from the Vancouver area, and maybe 30 classic cars, to be coming for the show. We’re also expecting another large group from Spokane, which should bring the number close to 200.”
The vast majority of classic cars that will be on display are from owners across the South Okanagan, but there will be many coming up from the Lower Mainland and many parts of Washington State, she said.
People who own classic vehicles inevitably want to show them off, she said.
“They become like their pets and they want to show them off,” she said. “They are very proud of all the hard work they put into keeping their vehicles in great shape and they love to have other people take a look at them.”
Her son will be displaying the 1964 Buick Riviera that captured the renowned Ridler Award at the 2014 Detroit Autorama two months ago for the first time at an outdoor show, she said.
“J.F. wanted to make sure that the first time he showed the car at an outdoor show was here in Osoyoos at the Cactus Jalopies Show and Shine,” she said. “The organizers of the big car show in Peachland really wanted him to show the car there a couple of weeks ago, but J.F. had to turn them down because he wanted to save showing off the car for the people here in his hometown.”
Since the event moved to Gyro Park four years ago, one of the big attractions has been the motorcycle stunt team that performs in the town parking lot behind The Owl Pub and they will be returning to perform once again this year.
“The kids really love the motorcycle stunt show and it helps create a real family atmosphere for the show,” she said.
There is a small, but dedicated team of volunteers who work very hard over several weeks to ensure the Cactus Jalopies event will be a success and they deserve a lot of credit for ensuring this event continues to grow and be a success every year, said Launier.
“We couldn’t hold the event without our volunteers,” she said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
