Downtown Cruise Night ‘something special’

Hundreds of classic, vintage and antique cars, trucks and motorcycles that line Rosser Avenue once a month in downtown Brandon for Cruise Night create one of the biggest show-and-shine events in western Manitoba. It’s also the envy of car clubs in Winnipeg, says Dave Burba, president of the Road Rebels Car Club.

“Winnipeg people say we have the best street show in Manitoba, and wish they had something like it,” Burba said. “And I was talking with a fellow from Germany, and he told me they don’t have shows like this there, but he’s been to a lot of them in the United States and says we have something special here.”

Cruise Night in Downtown Brandon has been running for more than 20 years. It’s hosted by Brandon and Area Car Enthusiasts (BACE) on the first Thursday of every month, June through September, from 6 to 9 p.m. along Rosser Avenue between Sixth and 13th streets.

For the first event of the season, held on May 16, there were “more than 175 cars and trucks and 20 bikes” said Burba.

One of the many spectators was Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett, who said it was great to admire all the vehicles and share in the owners’ passion, but admitted with a chuckle that he is “hardly a car person at all.”

Fawcett’s first car was a 1980 Honda Civic to get to and from work. It eventually had some “combine parts attached, just to keep it going, and it did the job for a long time.”

“I loved the Cruise Night,” Fawcett said. “It’s free and is a super community event for everybody, for people to get their vehicles out and share them, and for the public to walk around and talk with one another.

“I also liked the way that Brandon Downtown BIZ and the team from the Blue Door were working well together, handing things out and cleaning things up while it was going on,” Fawcett said.

Brandon Downtown BIZ is a proactive organization that serves as a united voice for owners and operators of businesses and services in the core, said Emmy Sanderson, the organization’s executive director.

Sanderson said Cruise Night is exactly what’s needed to help shift the perception of downtown.

“What I love about Cruise Night is the visibility and foot traffic it brings to our downtown,” said Sanderson. “It’s just a really positive event, and there’s been a lot of positive momentum in the downtown with new restaurants, and all sorts of great things happening down here. Cruise Night is the perfect event to bring people downtown.”

There will be two new additions to Rosser Avenue for all upcoming Cruise Nights, said Sanderson, who had asked Burba how the event could be made even better.

“I asked him what the BIZ could do to help,” Sanderson said. “And he told me they really needed sanitation and access to washrooms. So, for every Cruise Night, Brandon Downtown BIZ is going to provide portable washrooms on the corner of Ninth and Rosser Avenue.”

Another popular event that the Road Rebels Car Club hosts is in mid-July, called the Collector Car Appreciation Day. It’s traditionally held at the Riverbank Discovery Centre, but Burba said they have their sights set on a new possible location along Princess Avenue.

“I put in a permit to have us take over 10th Street to 13th Street and have our Collector Car Appreciation Day there. So, I’m hoping we’ll be able to do that,” Burba said.

“And Emmy is tickled pink to have another event for her downtown, and we’re tickled pink because it’s a new venue near Section 6 Brewing and The Dock On Princess, so hopefully that will regenerate the appreciation day portion of our car show,” he said.

Even if there is a location change for the mid-summer show and shine, added Burba, there is something that will stay the same when it comes to contributing to a local charity. For the past 15 years, drivers, riders and spectators have been helping the Road Rebels support the Elspeth Reid Family Resource Centre one burger and one smokie at a time.

“I think we’re probably close to $60,000 that we’ve donated to Elspeth Reid,” Burba said, adding it has been a perfect fit because both organizations focus on families.

One of the volunteers that helps flip burgers and smokies is Joe Ball, board chair for Child and Family Services Western Foundation.

The foundation helps support the Elspeth Reid Family Resource Centre and the preschool enrichment program, which helps prepare kids for school with reading and writing.

During each Cruise Night, the barbecue is set up on the corner of Rosser Avenue and Eighth Street with Ball at the grill who said, “Five bucks will get you either a hamburger or a smokie and a canned drink, and if you want chips, they are a buck.”

“People will often say, ‘Keep the change,’ because they know the money’s going to charity,” Ball said.

“For us, part of the value is that the Road Rebels have been enormously important partners in the work of the Elspeth Reid Family Resource Centre for years. And we want to be part of the community,” he said.

While Ball admits from his vantage point behind the barbecue that the views of the hot rods and muscle cars are limited, he knows quality and craftsmanship when he sees it.

“This is the best bang for the buck you’re ever going to get, because the car show is free,” said Ball.

“And you’re seeing the pinnacle of people’s art, design, and creativity. It’s like a rolling museum and art gallery.

“People pour their heart and soul into their rides with the customization, it’s just so great to see,” he said.

This Sunday, many of the 100 members of the Road Rebels Car Club will have their classics and collectibles on display at Dinsdale Park in Brandon for a spring car show and fundraising barbecue, which is open to the public from 4 to 8 p.m.

The day starts with a poker derby at 11 a.m., when participating vehicles will head to Minnedosa, Neepawa, Gladstone, Austin, Carberry and then back to the Wheat City.

For more information about the Road Rebels Car Club and upcoming events, find them on facebook at facebook.com/roadrebelscarclub.

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