Mustangs. Corvettes. Convertibles. Hot rods. Tailfins. Chrome. Whitewall tires.
These are just a few of the many things that people look forward to in anticipation of the annual Autorama event. The last Sunday in May always seems like a day of time travel for all of the classic cars of years gone by that come out of the woodwork and populate the parking lot at St. Albert Centre.
The show and shine event, now in its twentieth year, is a great way for many people to relive their cruising younger years in the ’50s and ’60s while giving everyone a chance to look under a few hoods and hear the rumbling of the engines.
Eric Sigvaldason is one of the members of the St. Albert Cruisers, the group that puts on Autorama. He said that it has gotten so popular that they have now set a limit for the number of vehicles that can get in. In 2011, a record number of entrants led to a very interesting problem.
“We actually had 165 so we were trying to accommodate as many as we could. We were shoehorning them in,” he laughed. “We did have to turn people away. We were thrilled to death to have that many.”
This time around, things are going to adhere to a maximum of 150 entrants. This, he hopes, will also maximize the enjoyment for everyone involved.
Attendees can expect the usual suspects of muscle cars, foreign classics, motorcycles and more at St. Albert Centre. Fun is the name of the game in that there are numerous family friendly activities and contests that take place, plus the police and fire departments will have equipment displays on site.
It’s not only one of the major local highlights of the early parts of every event-filled summer; it also attracts attention from cruisers across Alberta and other provinces as well. This Autorama takes place on the same weekend as a similar event in Camrose but Sigvaldason isn’t worried, saying that this city’s show and shine is firmly established on the calendar.
So what is it about these events that really gets people’s motors running? He explained that it’s about more than just the beauty and workmanship of the vehicles. The hobby of restoring and driving these vintage automobiles, he says, is about honouring the past and staying out of trouble while doing it.
“It brings people back to when they were younger. It keeps you out of mischief.”
Right now, the only mischief that he wants to avoid is environmental. He has his fingers firmly crossed for blue skies and good weather.
“The weather is the big unknown factor. It can make or break you. Case in point: two years ago where it snowed and we had to postpone ’til September. We hope it doesn’t happen again.”
The 20th annual Autorama runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday in the parking lot at St. Albert Centre. Registration is $10 per vehicle. Spectators get in for free.
All proceeds go to support St. Albert Stop Abuse in Families. Attendees are requested to bring in food bank donations.
