Calling all car lovers: Niagara College’s School of Trades‘ first ever Car Show is revving up for a good cause.
Taking place in the ‘D’ parking lots at the Welland Campus on June 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Car Show will be a family event, featuring modern cars and classic cars, food vendors and family-friendly activities, says Pete D’Elia, a professor in the Motive Power Technician Program who’s also part of the team organizing the show.
The Motive Power building will be open for tours for the day, too.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities South Central Ontario (RMHCSCO), which recently opened a Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines to support families with children undergoing hospital care.
D’Elia, who says he’s been wanting to organize a car show for at least five years, was forced to shelve the idea when the COVID-19 pandemic halted everything.
“Right after COVID finished, I thought ‘I want to get back on track on this.’ So this is the year that we’re finally going to make it happen.”
With help from Sarah Scott, Community Relations and Events Specialist, D’Elia has been assembling a team of volunteers and putting the call out to local car enthusiasts who might be interested in entering their vehicles.
“We’re trying to put all the background stuff in place now and it’s a lot of work,” he says, adding that he’s also visiting local vehicle repair shops and handing out flyers to drum up interest.
Already the local Corvette club has registered 30 cars – two cars from each generation. Others have begun registering, too.
“Hopefully the event becomes bigger and better every year,” D’Elia says. “I’d like to grow it so that it becomes an annual thing that people can look forward to and it becomes a part of the College culture.”
Scott, who’s taken on the role of project manager for the event, says there are many opportunities for the entire community to be involved. Businesses can sponsor the car show or set up a vendor booth, and individuals or car clubs can enter vehicles to have on display. The entry fee is $15; prizes will be awarded for Best in Class and Best in Show.
Niagara College staff, their family and friends, and alumni can save $10 on their registration fee using promo codes “NCstaff” and “Alumni.” Clubs registering more than five cars are also eligible for a discount. There is no cost to attend the event.
Scott says she’s happy to be partnering with RMHC for the car show because it’s a family-oriented event supporting an organization that’s helping families.
“We thought this would be a perfect family-friendly event to intertwine with our Culinary Program and their initiative for Feed the Community program, which creates meals weekly for many local charities – including Ronald McDonald House,” Scott says. “It’s a nice play on multiple facets of our divisions coming together to support charities in need.”
Car owners and vendors can visit the Car Show’s Eventbrite page to get involved. Anyone interested in sponsoring the event can contact D’Elia ([email protected]) or Scott ([email protected]) directly. RMHCSCO will issue tax receipts for cash donations.
