An annual car show in Kelowna on Saturday attracted hundreds of people.
The Show ’N Shine on Bernard Avenue had dozens of vehicles, ranging from vintage to new and heavily modified to exotics.
The crowd was just as varied, with young to old casually strolling the three-block event in the downtown core, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Organizers say around 100 cars were registered, but roughly 85 showed up.
The event was slated to run last month, but was rescheduled because of the McDougall Creek wildfire.
“It was a slow last two weeks of August (for local businesses),” said Mark Burley, executive director of the Downtown Kelowna Association.
“The weather is cooperating with us today, which is really great. And it’s not super hot, so it’s enjoyable to be out walking and checking out the cars.”
Burley said hosting the car show downtown is important for local businesses.
“We’ve had a tough four years if you really think about it,” he said. “The only thing that’s certain is uncertainty for business right now.
“A lot of businesses are trying to gauge how they’re doing, and they’re comparing sales back to 2019. We thought we were doing fine (for summer) and then we had that two-week shutdown (because of the wildfire), which hurt a lot of businesses.”
During the McDougall Creek wildfire, the province asked visitors to leave the Central Okanagan, which had a big financial impact.
“It started off not too bad, but August pretty much killed us,” said Scott Mawer, general manager of Memphis Blues BBQ House, adding summer business is what helps them get through winter.
Asked if the car show helps the bottom line, Mawer said yes, noting it’s been a slightly busier Saturday than normal.
“It brings a lot of people down (to the area),” he said. “We share with all the other restaurants.”
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