One of the region's best known car shows is returning for its 11th edition.
The Fleetwood Country Cruize-In is renowned for its large crowds and impressive cars. Stephen Plunkett, the founder and director of the Cruize-In, has seen the show grow from humble origins.
“The very first one was not charity oriented at all. It was a 60-car get together with two cases of Coke on the front lawn,” Plunkett says. “I enjoyed that so much that I thought, ‘Well, we’ll have sort of a quasi-planned car show the following year.’ That’s how it snowballed.”
As the show has grown in popularity, Plunkett and his team have seen a steady increase of cars and attendees.
“It went from 400 cars to now, last year, 5,500 cars in one day, 2,000 the next, and we parked 12,000 cars in total.”
All money raised by the event is donated to local charities, with Plunkett estimating “up to 33 charities per year.” The event has raised raised serious money for big name organizations in London, including the Lions Club and the Boys and Girls Club.
“We’ve now raised 1,321,000 real dollars for area charities in basically nine car shows,” Plunkett says. “Everything from entrance fees, selling food and pop, and some donations, that type of thing, and parking.”
The event, which takes place on Plunkett’s estate, is advertised for the whole family. It brings out, according to Plunkett's estimate, 21,000 to 25,000 people.
“It’s a great place for families to stroll and walk around, with the ponds, bridges, water features,” says Plunkett.
Anyone who has a stylish car that they want to show off has the option to bring it for the public’s enjoyment.
“There is no pre-registration. Just show up. Ten dollars per person, per day. Come out and have a good time,” Plunkett says.
Plunkett himself even has a collection that goes on display.
“My two showrooms are open to the public, to show Cadillac’s that you would never ever see ordinarily.”
The show takes place June 4-5 from 7am to 5pm at 9282 Elviage Dr.
**this story was written by Samuel Gallant. Samuel is a student in the Fanshawe College broadcast journalism program. He is performing a summer internship with Blackburn News.**
