Road King’s Queen City Cruise 20-year anniversary edition
By Ari Lord
The Nelson Road King’s 20th anniversary of the Queen City Cruise car show is hitting the streets of Nelson September 6th and 7th with 400 vehicles and eight to ten thousand spectators on Saturday.
Nelson Road Kings President, Marcello Piro, who has been involved since since 2005, says there is something for everyone at the show, from car fans to music fans to families.
“Our group is excited to present this anniversary event to Nelson and surrounding area,” Piro said.
On Friday September 6th, in person registration will begin at Nelson’s Chamber of Commerce, starting at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m, participating cars will line up and parade through Nelson, ending in Fairview by the Dairy Queen.
Piro recommends that participating vehicles register early as they expect to have a full docket of 400 cars.
On Saturday September 7th, the excitement continues with the Show & Shine that will run all day.
Again, Piro asks that car owners register early.
While the Road Kings officially became a club in 2003, their origin story starts much earlier.
The club was started in 1962 by a few young men who loved their cars.
The early club activities included car washes, bottle drives and Rock and Roll dances at the Lakeside Park tennis court. The club donated money raised to local charities.
“In the sixties, there was a group of guys that got together and they would drive around and if you had car troubles, they would stop and give you a hand,” Piro explained.
“They were building a 30s hot rod as a group. I’m not sure that they actually finished it. The club dissolved as most guys got busy with kids and so on.”
In 2003, a group of local residents believed Nelson was an ideal town to host a car show. A meeting was set up at the Hume Hotel where 20 car enthusiasts showed up to create what is now Nelson Road Kings.
“In the 2000s car shows started to get popular and in 2003, after being at a few different car shows, a group of them put down about $100 each and put together their first show,” says Piro.
In a matter of months, they formed a committee to put on the first Queen City Cruise.
Since this time, the Nelson Road Kings have put on a yearly car show that hosts 400 cars and has about 10,000 visitors for its two-day event.
One thing that has contributed to the success of the show over time is geographical location, Piro explains.
“The word got out with our close proximity to the US and Spokane, and for a lot of the [car] clubs from there, it was an easy drive up, with no passports back then, so it made it easier for them. Their dollar was worth more than ours, and they benefitted from that. We got a lot of groups from Washington, Idaho and word got out to Alberta, and the Okanagan.”
According to Piro, their furthest participating vehicle has been from California.
The Nelson Road King’s Queen City Cruise is a crowd pleaser for novice and expert car enthusiasts.
There is something for everyone at the Queen City Cruise.
Performer Don Nelson will start at 3 p.m. on Friday. There is a Poker Walk that is open to the public on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. that will go up the north shore of Kootenay Lake and end at Mountain Lake Senior’s Community.
There is also a window display decorating contest for merchants, and lots of cash prizes for grabs.
There is a colouring contest for kids under 11. Children can stop by the public relations tent and give colouring a try. Or they can do their art beforehand. They can find the colouring page here. All entries will be judged on Saturday September 7th. Entries can be dropped off at the kid’s tent in the 500 Block of Baker St. Nelson.
Piro says every year there is an element of giving back to the community.
This year, the Road Kings are helping Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA) sell 50/50 tickets, with only 2000 tickets printed.
This year sees the return of an outdoor dance organized by Rhinestone Productions featuring the band BC/DC who will be celebrating their 25th anniversary. Tickets for the dinner and dance can be purchased from around town or online.
To learn more about Nelson’s busiest weekend of the year, check out the Road Kings website.
Or with questions, please contact them by email at info@nelsonroadkings.com.
Nelson Road Kings are helping Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA) sell 50/50 tickets. Pictured Dr. Nick Sparrow of KERPA and Road Kings president Marcello Piro.
