Rotary Ribfest Classic Car Show
Somehow, a RibFest, beer tent, and live outdoor music just seem to go really well together with a classic car show. They all have two things in common – they are enjoyed by fun loving people and they are all best done during the summer months when the sun is shining and shorts and sandals are the attire of choice. The Orangeville Rotary RibFest will make its seventh appearance on the grounds behind the Alder Street arena on July 15,16, and 17. While the smell of charcoal grilled ribs and savoury sauces drift across the beer tent and into the midway, several hundred classic, vintage, and one of kind automobiles will be cruising in through the parking lot to find their spot at the RibFest Classic Car Show. The Saturday afternoon show has become one of the highlights of RibFest weekend. If the rumble of a high performance engine sounds like music to your ears, and your appreciation of art is based on a highly polished paint job on a chopped and lowered Model A Ford, the Classic Car Show will provide more than enough automotive stimulation for your senses. There is plenty of space on the lawn behind the arena and this year over 200 classic car owners are expected to bring their rides to the show. There will be highly modified hot rods, fully restored classics, sedans, coups, rag-tops, and a few rare foreign models that you may have never even seen before. Admission is free, and after you chow down on some ribs and enjoy a cold one in the beer tent, a stroll through history on the grass is a great way to spend the afternoon. The show is organized by David Murphy, Business Relations Manager at MacMaster Buick GMC on Highway 9, in Orangeville. David also runs the Cruisin’ on First Street car show that takes place every Wednesday evening in the Canadian Tire parking lot in Orangeville. He was also an organizer of the Orangeville Jazz and Blues Festival Blues Cruise that lined Broadway with hundreds of vehicles during the first night of the festival. A vintage car collector himself, David is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to the history of automobiles and can easily discuss the industry from the current situation right down to the year a particular model last had chrome bumpers. Mr. Murphy graduated from Humber College with a degree in Automotive Design and has actively pursued his career in the automotive industry. “This is the second major event that I’m doing with MacMaster Buick GMC and Orangeville Chrysler as far as car shows go this year, along with the weekly cruise nights. This will bring the classic car community of Orangeville and the area to RibFest. It’s an opportunity to get everyone in the community to come out and have some fun. We’ve got a huge open field that can hold quite a few cars. We draw in cars from pretty much everywhere. Last year we had cars from Brampton, a few from Toronto, Wasaga Beach, and a few that came down from the car show in Mount Forest.” Every year there are a few special interest cars that show up. This includes rare low production models where only a handful were ever produced and made it to the automotive market. There is also a few that have been chopped, modified, and customized so they hardly resemble the original production vehicle. And that’s the fun of it. There will also be a chance to vote on your favourite vehicle for the Community Choice award. Ballots will be available at the gate. Orangeville is a great central location for a car show. “We’re central to a lot of communities and people will come up from Toronto just to see a car show,” Mr. Murphy said. “We’re probably one of the top, if not the top, car communities in a one hour radius of where we are.” The RibFest Classic Car Show will take place on Saturday, July 16, beginning at 3:00 p.m. and will run through to 8:00 p.m. Admission is free. You can learn more by visiting the RibFest website at www.orangevilleribfest.com. Written by Brian Lockhart
