Yahoo, it looks like summer is finally here, and last Sunday at the Grant Park Pony Corral we had an absolute blast. Although we were far too busy to actually count all the cars, it's a sure bet more than 400 of Winnipeg's nicest machines rolled through the parking lot and a crowd of more than 1000 spectators took in the show.
Throughout the evening everyone I spoke with commented on how much they enjoy the laid back atmosphere at the Pony. While the weekly event always draws a huge number of regulars who never miss a Sunday, it's also nice to see an increase in folks who are driving across town to participate in Winnipeg's original Sunday night cruise.
Each week we pack the lot with a huge variety of classic and special interest vehicles, and we encourage everyone from the owners of new sports cars to antique works in progress to attend the event.
My duties as the host include giving away a great lineup of prizes every Sunday donated by a number of local businesses. Rondex Limited is the title sponsor of the event, and they pony up a great sleection of prizes, as do our friends from Piston Ring, 3M, Castrol, Mid-Town Car Wash, Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Canadian Paintball. The grand prizes awarded at the end of the year add up to more that $10,000 and include a $2000 package from Rondex complete with an air compressor, a Volano scooter valued at more than $2000 from Scooter City and a Cragar wheel and B.F. Goodrich tire package valued at more than $2000 from Canadian SuperShop.
This year the Pony Corral will also be hosting a collector car auction on Sunday, August 10. Full details on this exciting event will be laid out right here as the plan unfolds, but I can already tell you that more than 20 vehicles ranging from classics to exotics, and even a chopper motorcycle have already signed up.
Cruzin' Downtown ready to roll
John and Bev Dyck, (pictured on the left) are known in these parts as the king and queen of cruisers. This dynamic duo will be accepting advanced registration for the 9th Annual Cruz In Downtown car show, being held this year on Saturday, August 9. Advanced registration takes place at both the Grant Park Pony Corral on Sunday nights and the weekly Wednesday night cruise at the downtown Pony Corral on St. Mary Avenue. The cost of early registration is just $10 until July 27, after that it goes up to $20.
The event is once again sponsored by Piston Ring Auto Service and you can also register at all of their locations. For more info or to volunteer for this charity event please call John or Bev at (204) 889-7822 or check out the website at www.cruz-in-downtown.com.
The rat came back
Every week at the Pony Corral Sunday night cruise, folks have been asking where Tony Costa (pictured above) is. For those of you who aren't familiar with Costa, he is the founding member and president of Winnipeg's popular River City Rat Rodz car club. It seems that Costa's absence was due to the tireless work he has been putting into his 1959 Oldsmobile.
Throughout the winter Costa pounded all the dents out of the cars long and lean body, applied a silky black denim paint job and a fresh new red vinyl interior. If you haven't had a chance to check out Costa's awesome car, make sure you stop by the Pony this Sunday, where the car will be on display alongside several other cool rides from the River City Rat Rodz. Nice to have you back Tony, and congratulations on your car, it looks ratastic.
Free Press AUTOS rolling along
The Free Press AUTOS website is rolling full steam ahead, with more than 7000 vehicles for sale, as well as photos from local events, and automotive news and reviews from around the world. The winner of this week's random Rank My Ride draw is Richard Broder, who won four passes to Folklorama. Don't forget it is totally free to post your vehicle for sale online.
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