As summer rolls in, cars roll up

Transcona

As the first warm weeks of summer weather begin to settle into the city, car enthusiasts are rolling back into the cruise night routine, but the fun doesn’t stop on the weekend.

Murdoch MacKay Collegiate’s Grade 12 automotive students are hosting their annual car show on Thursday, June 11 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the school (260 Redonda St.).

“I’m excited we get to run it this year. It’s a big accomplishment,” said Noah Koslowsky, a Grade 12 student at Murdoch. Each graduating class gets their turn to run the show where many of the students win awards.

It’s a chance to celebrate their accomplishments before that last Friday of the school year and the feeling of graduating sets in, said Dave Salichuk, automotive instructor at Murdoch for nine years.

“It’s fulfilling and super rewarding,” Salichuk said when watching students work towards the show.

Last year’s car show had around 100 cars present and about 200 people, according to Salichuk.

“For me, it’s what represents Winnipeg,” Salichuk said. “No other city does car culture like Winnipeg with a dedicated Sunday.”

Sunday cruise nights are a local Winnipeg summer tradition where groups of car aficionados meet at various hot spots around the city in luxurious, vintage, sport, or any fun out-of-the-ordinary car.

“Every year (the show) is different,” said Andon McDonagh, a Grade 12 automotive student. “Some years there’s old cars, some luxury. It’s cool to not know what’ll be there.”

“It’s very expansive,” McDonagh said about the car community in the city.

“It’s a very welcoming community,” Koslowsky added. “You can walk up and ask questions about the cars and it’s nice to see how welcoming on community can be.”

At the show, there will be live music played by Murdoch’s School of Rock band, barbeque hot dogs and hamburgers, and several awards for both cars and the Grade 12s.

McDonagh and Koslowsky have both been in the automotive program since Grade 9.

“We’re in there for three-and-a-half hours a day so we’ve made a lot of memories,” McDonagh said.

They said the most common type of repair they do in class is suspension, oil changes, and brakes.

“It’s a friendly environment,” McDonagh said hiding a laugh. “There’s never a dull moment (in class).”

Koslowsky added that the car show is a nice farewell for Grade 12s.

The car show is open to everyone with multiple big parking lots for parking. As Salichuk said while laughing, “just show up.”