Canada's largest charity car show has raised close to $2 million over its 25 years, estimated Riccardo Sestito, the long-serving 黑马磁力 Good Times Cruise-In Society president, who said the annual event averages $85,000 to $94,000 a year.
"I think our worst year was maybe 60 grand," Sestito calculated.
Right now, the upper limit of cars has been reached for the space the show is allowed.
"We're probably going to max out at maybe 1,200, 1,300 cars" and 75,000 to 85,000 visitors, Sestito predicted.
If Cruise-In could expand along Fraser Hwy. east of 272 St. Sesito said the show could increase the number of cars, and the amount raised.
"We would probably get another three, four, 500 cars in there, 600 cars, easy if we had 272 and all the way to the 273, 274 area. So we requested that, but we got shut down."
He said the issue, the Township engineering department has told them, is that it's not going to be feasible because they would have to reroute truck traffic "and it's a nightmare."
Sestito thinks there are ways to find more space, and discussions are continuing.
But meanwhile, for the first time, all cars will have to sign up in advance, with no admissions of unregistered vehicles on the day of the event.
"We're running out of room," Sestio said. "So we have to go pre-registration only. We have no other choice."
Drivers will also be discouraged from leaving early, for reasons of safety.
"The thing is, we want to enforce that we don't want you leaving in the middle of the show," he said.
"If you have to leave, try to ask the parking people in the morning if they can park near a gate so it's easy for them to leave. We don't want you stuck in the heart of the show by the stage and say, okay, well, I've got to go and it's 12 o'clock at the busiest time of the day, right? Because we've got to find volunteers that can walk you out, and it's just a nightmare."
Another change concerns car awards.
With high-profile U.S. hot rod builder Jimmy Shhine sitting things out this year, attention is shifting to the the Young Guns award, for youthful car builders, now in its second year.
"We wanted to do something else, and focus more local," Sestito explained.
A new Cruise-In program to encourage students in the trades with bursaries is continuing.
"We started doing this two years ago, getting students that are not the top of the class, but they have a future in some kind of trade," Sestito said.
"That's what the focus is. It doesn't have to be car-related. It could be welding. It could be carpentry. It could be pipe fitting. It could be anything that's a trade, electrician, someone that needs a hand up, in other words."
黑马磁力 Good Times Cruise-In is a charity car show held in downtown Aldergrove. This year, the event runs Saturday, Sept. 6, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the main drag blocked off and an estimated 1,500 classic, custom, and vintage cars expected to be on display.
More information and pre-registration available at
