Camaro owners descend on Niagara
Car show in Thorold this weekend
Danni Gresko/staff
Published on
Jun 13, 2008
Camaro enthusiasts, start your engines.
The Ontario Camaro Club, Canada’s only all-Camaro car club, is in Thorold this weekend for the 20th annual Ontario Camaro Nationals.
There will be 200 to 250 of the Chevrolet sports cars on display during the two-day event taking place in the parking lot of the Four Points Suites Sheraton Hotel.
The public will be able to participate in the show by choosing their “Top 10” favourite Camaros in each generation. This will result in 40 special trophies to be awarded to owners for participants’ choices and 30 best-of plaques will be presented during an awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
The public might even catch 150 Camaros cruising down Thorold Stone Road, when the cars take off for their cruise route.
“The cruise goes to Niagara Falls, down Thorold Stone Road then the cars will split up at Stanley Ave and meet at Marineland then travel back to Thorold,” said Dale Oldham, Ontario Camaro Club President.
The cruise starts at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Oldham said there are Camaro owners coming to the show from across Ontario, Canada and the United States.
“You name it, we have people from there,” he said.
A treat to the show this year, said Oldham, is the new convertible Camaro concept which was on display at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.
Oldham said it was difficult to arrange for the car to be at the show, but he managed to pull it off.
“You have to have friends in high places,” he joked.
Oldham said he managed to convince Scott Settlemeyer, the manager of shows and special events for General Motors, that the concept car would be a good fit for the show.
“It’s the brand new car and it will be here all weekend long,” he said.
Camaros started to fill the parking lot Friday afternoon, but the main event day will be Saturday June 14. The day starts at 9:30 a.m. with a DJ, music, door prizes, face painting for the kids, presentations, a 50-50 draw and a silent auction.
Sunday, a colouring contest for the kids will take place from 9-11 a.m. and there will be a “blind man’s” racing event at 10 a.m. and a rad fill contest at 10:30. The awards ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday.