Antique fire trucks to join annual Queen City Cruise at 11th annual Road Kings Queen City Cruise
By Erin Perkins
Bright shiny antique fire trucks will be parked alongside the more than 350 vehicle entries expected to fill Baker Street during the 11th annual Queen City Cruise Friday, Sept. 7 and Saturday, Sept. 8.
The Antique Fire Truck Show and Shine is the last of a series of events to honour the 100th anniversary of the Nelson Fire Hall.
The redbrick fire hall, located at the corner of Ward and Latimer Streets, was built in 1913 and is considered BC’s oldest operating fire station.
The Nelson Fire Department chose to co-host the show alongside the Nelson Road King’s very popular Queen City Cruise.
Antique fire trucks and associated paraphernalia from Grand Forks and Parksville will also be attending.
“It will be nice to have all the restored fire trucks on Baker Street with us,” said Nelson Road Kings president Mike Keegan. “And kids love fire trucks.”
More than 10,000 people attend the Queen City Cruise every year, filling the streets with car enthusiasts of all ages. This truly international event attracts car collectors from Washington State, Idaho, Southern British Columbia and Southern Alberta.
This weekend begins on Friday night with Show and Shine registration taking place at 2 p.m. at Bogustown Family Restaurant and Lounge. The City Cruise follows the registration at 6 p.m., which is a car parade through Nelson that ends downtown.
The Soap Box Derby, sponsored by Nelson Chrysler, will be on Lake Street this year, not Kootenay Street as in previous years. Time trails start at 4 p.m. and the final runs start at 7 p.m.
Viewing of the “rolling works of art”, as Keegan likes to call the cars, will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday on Baker Street, which will be blocked off for pedestrian traffic. Expect a smorgasbord of vehicular history from classic cars to super special modern ones. The car owners are also on hand to answer questions.
“With 350 entries it fills up the whole downtown,” said Keegan. “And it takes all day to look at all those cars.”
He said every year he is always amazed at the diversity of the people who come out to have a look.
“Everybody loves cars. It’s funny how with even the most specialized automobiles, you’ll get a little old lady with her cane come up and ask you about your car,” said Keegan.
At 3 p.m. there is an awards presentation. There will be two poker runs. The first is the Poker Walk, which happens from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with participating merchants for a chance to win one of two $500 prizes. The second is the Lordco Poker Run, which runs from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and has one $500 prize.
This year’s Roof Top Dance, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Parkade, features the Victoria band, The Time Benders. The Time Benders cover 60 years of music and feature a fast-paced energetic presentation with multiple costume changes and choreography.
Tickets are limited to 1,000. There are a few tickets left at the front desk of the Hume Hotel, from select Nelson Road King members or, for out-of-towners, by calling 250-352-6843 to purchase by credit card.
A free ride home is being sponsored by Kootenay Insurance Services.
For a full schedule of the days events please visit www.nelsonroadkings.com.
