Closures to parts of Kelowna’s City Park due to flooding have pushed out one of the city’s largest one-day events.
But fear not, classic car fans. The annual Boyd Autobody Father’s Day Car Show will still go ahead on June 18—just in a temporary new location.
According to event planner Krista Chisholm, the show will take place on McCurdy Place this year, a road in the industrial area of Kelowna at the northern end of the city. McCurdy Place is located across Highway 97 from McCurdy Corner.
Chisholm said when parts of City Park were closed due to the high water in Okanagan Lake and the threat of flooding, organizers went looking for another location. She said the business located along the street—where Boyd also has one of its body shops—agreed to let the show use their parking lots. Most of the businesses in the area will be closed on the day of the car show, and the two that will be open, Harley-Davidson and Konquer, participate each year in the show.
Last year, the show featured 571 collector and custom vehicles—cars, trucks, motorcycles and even a few speed boats—and attracted an estimated crowd of between 20,000 and 30,000 people. The new space will allow room for as many as 600 vehicles.
Chisholm said apart from the new location, the show will still have its usual food and entertainment offerings, and this year will feature special guest Mark Worman of Velocity Television’s Graveyard Cars program.
The free show, which will celebrate its 19th year this year, has become an annual tradition for many families in the Central Okanagan and raises money for a different charity each year.
This year, proceeds raised through sponsorships and donations will go to the Professional Firefighter’s Burn Fund. Last year, the car show raised $13,000 for the Arthritis Society.