Hundreds turned out to Memorial Park on Sunday, July 31 to view the 10th annual collection of Kars Under the “K” under mostly sunny skies and unusually high humidities.
The musical group Sharon Reid and Denim Country entertained crowds of car enthusiasts, the music punctuated every now and again by the putting sound of an antique engine skipping a beat at the southeast corner of the park. The aroma of popcorn and concessionary food added a carnival like atmosphere to a show that continues to provide a delightful distraction to the August long weekend in Keremeos - in addition to bringing visitors into the valley.
The long weekend also brought with it the annual visit of the Sober Riders, a motorcycle club that makes an annual pilgrimage to the Keremeos area. On Sunday morning, Seventh Avenue was noticeably active with the raucous sounds of dozens of motorcycles congregating at Hilltop Esso, or downtown at Canadian Chopper.
Sunday’s show was the largest ever under taken by the Kars society. There was room to park even more cars on the grass, as the Royal Canadian Legion had an open house at their cantina and the beer garden was moved inside.
“The goodie bag committee outdid themselves with the bags we gave to all the participants. The spot prize committee were also able to procure a table full of spot prizes for the participants, and KMS Tools donated the tool box for the door prize.
The band Denim Country and our DJ , Dan the music man, entertained the crowd with great music all day,” summed up Kars president Marcel Morin.
The Longest Distance Travelled award and $100 cash donated by Norm’s Carpet Cleaning went to Bob Wilson from Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan with a ‘59 Willys Woody Wagon. Mayor’s Choice went to Ken Helm from Cawston for his ‘26 Model T.
Best of Show went to Brent Stewart from Gibson, B.C for his rare ‘71 Dodge Demon 340.
A special presentation was made to Kelly and Ruth Foy from Kelowna for their friendship and for their help in getting Kars under the “K” Show and Shine Society up and running. The Foys help at the car show every year. They organize their own shows Lake Country Custom and Classic in Winfield B.C. and a weekly cruise-in at McCurdy Corner in Kelowna .
Proceeds will go to the Keremeos High School Automotive Shop Class, Keremeos Assisted Living, and Keremeos Senior Center.
Kars Under the “K” will be regrouping over the winter as three members are retiring.