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Downtown Ladysmith was gleaming with shined-up classic cars

Ladysmith Show ‘n Shine happened Aug. 19 along First Avenue
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Thousands of visitors took to Ladysmith’s First Avenue for the 19th annual Show ‘n Shine which attracted more than 270 vehicles, old and new, on Saturday, Aug. 19. (Bailey Seymour/The Chronicle)

BY DUCK PATERSON

Ladysmith’s First Avenue was heaven for lovers of classic and unique vehicles this past weekend.

The 19th annual Ladysmith Show ’n Shine, held Saturday, Aug. 19, was over the top, again, according to the volunteer organizers.

“It kind of makes you proud when we can see the amazing crowd coming downtown to see all the real classics,” said Bob Purslow, event vice-chairperson. “The turn-out is impressive.”

Tammy Leslie, event treasurer, said the show ‘n shine surpassed its goal of 250 vehicles with more than 270, filling the whole show area along First Avenue as well as a couple of side streets.

“We have a couple of goals and besides having a hugely successful show that locals and visitors enjoy, we also want to showcase the historic downtown and the great businesses all along the street,” she said.

This year the show added a bit of a special feature, and that was the addition of the Island Girls Pinup Pageant talent show put on by V.I. Pinups.

“It was quite a different event, but it seemed to attract a lot of attention,” Purslow said.

When asked about the crowd, the committee said it’s hard to estimate because people come and go throughout the day, but organizers believe that well over 6,000 people attended.

The show ’n shine recognized some of the vehicle owners with trophies supplied by Bayview Framing and Canvas Plus. The show executive trophy choices were Pauline and Doug Fox’s 1957 Pontiac Star Chief, Bruce Christison’s 1962 Corvette Roadster, Todd Garret’s 1972 Camaro SS 396, Dave Boudewyn’s 1959 Chevy Apache pickup, and the President’s Trophy went to Mike Bettie’s 1956 Jaguar XK140.

A trophy for best open-top vehicle, in memory of longtime community volunteer Gord Reid was presented to Don Miller for his 1936 Mercedes Benz 500K. The Little Valley Collision and Glass award for the best paint job was won by Darren Hoffman for his 1955 Chevy Snubnose Cab Over.

Every participant in the show was entitled to vote for their favourite vehicle and the winner of that award was Donald Collier for his 1956 Monarch Richelieu.

There were three People’s Choice awards, considered the most coveted as it’s the general public that chooses the winners. First prize went to Dave Richards and his 1972 Datsun 1200, second prize went to Gilles Parenteau with his 1971 Ford Mustang, and third went to Marshall Hawley and his 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air.

Friday evening’s A&W Rod Run was also considered a success with more than 130 vehicles participating on the cruise through Ladysmith to Chemainus.

“This was a much larger route than previous years,” said organizer Jason Kelland, from A&W. “The crowds were fantastic along the whole route, the largest ever.”

READ ALSO: Ladysmith Show ‘n Shine all set to go

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Spectators check out Stan and Helen Young’s Chevrolet Bel Air at the Ladysmith Show ‘n Shine on Saturday, Aug. 19. (Bailey Seymour/The Chronicle)
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Thousands of visitors took to Ladysmith’s First Avenue for the 19th annual Show ‘n Shine which attracted more than 270 vehicles, old and new, on Saturday, Aug. 19. (Bailey Seymour/The Chronicle)
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The 19th annual Ladysmith Show ’n Shine featured a plethora of vehicles of all shapes, sizes and colours. (Duck Paterson photo)
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First Avenue in Ladysmith was not just vibrating with the sound of classic vehicles and engines, but also with the hum of an excited crowd of 6,000-plus spectators. The stretch of downtown from Roberts to Warren streets was lined with more than 270 vehicles. (Duck Paterson photo)
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The owner of a 1936 Mercedes Benz was the recipient of the Gord Reid Memorial Award for bringing the best open-top vehicle in the show. (Duck Paterson photo)