Sunshine, green grass and shiny cars made for the perfect combination for car fans on Saturday who strolled the grounds at The Park at Crown Isle Golf Course near Courtenay for the sixth annual Hot August Nights Classic Car Show and Cruise.
“It’s growing every year,” said co-organizer Dave Mellin. “This year we figure we have close to 500 cars again, and it’s on a golf course, totally unheard of.”
Bruce McKinnon and his partner came from Powell River with a group of classic car lovers. He and Shauna Renard have his and hers 1964 Rambler Americans.
“It’s absolutely beautiful here,” said Renard. “Can’t get anything better than being on a golf course with the scenery and all the people, it’s great.”
“I like all car shows, it’s the people, it’s what people do. Car guys talk to other car guys, it’s what we do,” added McKinnon.
Rob Petty of the Pacific International Street Rod Association in Langley has been coming to the show for four years.
“My car is a 1932 two-door sedan built in a 60’s style as some kid would have done in the early 60’s,” said Petty showing off his shiny blue car.
Along another fairway not far away was a beautiful car brought up from Parksville.
“It’s a 1933 Master Eagle. So this would have been the banker or the businessman’s car and maybe he would have had a driver so this is a top of the line Chevy that you could get in 1933,” said Tony Fuller.
The Hot August Nights Classic Car Show and Cruise is in memory of Romeo St. Jacques, whose wife continues to show his 1932 Deuce after his passing.
“My husband got the car back in the late 60’s early 70’s, it was his dream car,” said Terri St. Jacques. “He bought it for $800 and he rebuilt it three times. In 2004 he built it to what you see today.”
In 2013 it was appraised at $125,000.
“The work is incredible, yeah, some real beauties here,” said Grant Mckee, a car buff who made the trip from Port Alberni to take in the show.
The cruise part of the show will happen Sunday on roads around the Comox Valley. A map of the route can be found here.
Dean Stoltz
