July 19, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Festivals & Events
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I come from a family of cars. Where my cousin's '65 mustang convertible is considered just as much a relative as its owner. So the annual Mile '0' Cruisers Summer Cruise is like a big family reunion. The annual auto enthusiast event fills the city of Dawson Creek with vintage cars for a weekend, culminating in a downtown Show & Shine on the Sunday. And this was a year to remember for the Mile '0' Cruisers. The weekend of July 11-12 was marked with decidedly beautiful weather, which helped draw 200 classic rides to line the downtown core.
The Summer Cruise is the largest car show north of Edmonton, and about 70% of the participants come from out of town, with some cars (and their drivers) hailing from as far as Vanderhoof, B.C. The rides themselves ranged from the usual car show fare (mustangs, corvettes, bel-airs) to the unusual (vintage transport trucks, motorbikes, and some things I don't even have a name for). Of course, every car-driver relationship has a story, and the drivers are always more than willing to share. One particularly interesting ride this year was a 1954 Meteor Niagara (pictured above). The car's driver purchased it as his first car in the early 60's, and it was his mode of transportation as he dated his future wife. After a few years, however, the car was parked. This lasted until just this last winter, when it was completely restored. Now, less than 6 months removed from its big makeover, the car managed to place in the top ten rides of the weekend.
The downtown show and shine took place from 8:30-2:30 and along with the cars featured many activities for youngsters, several food stations, local event tents, and some raffles. The day wrapped up with the presentation of the people's choice top ten, as well as the sponsor's favorites around the Mile 0 post.
Visit the summer cruise website for a complete gallery, as well as information.