The weather could not have been more perfect for the 17th Annual Nicola Valley Cruisers’ Show ‘n Shine, held this past Sunday at Central Park.

Hundreds of spectators, young and old alike, were on hand to view the almost 150 vintage, classic and custom vehicles on display. Exhibitors came from throughout the Interior, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, and even from as far afield as Alberta and Manitoba.

While the number of entries did not quite match the 172 from two summers ago, Cruisers Car Club president Abe Pettyjohn didn’t hesitate to declare this year’s event “one of the best ever”.

A highlight of Sunday’s Show ‘n Shine was the presence of ‘The Dragn’, a custom SSR (Super Sport Roadster) with just about all the bells and whistles imaginable – and more.

Owned by Peter and Cindy Ouimet of Abbotsford, ‘The Dragn’ is outfitted with five computers and over 2,000 feet of additional wiring that allows the vehicle to literally “put on a show on its own”, complete with opening and closing doors, blowing smoke and sound effects.

“It’s got the same set-up that you’d need to run a Coca-Cola plant,” stated Peter with a smile.

The Ouimets, who spend part of each year at their second home on Nicola Lake, have taken ‘The Dragn’ to events all over western Canada and into the States. Recently, they had the car at SEMA (the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association’s annual convention) in Vegas.

“These days, we have to haul ‘The Dragn’ everywhere,” said Cindy. “We can’t drive it because the insurance, at $30,000 a year, is just too expensive.”

A two-time winner at this year’s Show ‘n Shine was Jason Tasko from Kamloops with his 1926 Chev 1-ton produce truck. In addition to having done a beautiful resoration job on the vehicle, Tasko also had his pick-up wonderfully decked out with crates of fresh vegetables and fruits.

“I originally got the truck from ny neighbour – all in pieces,” described Tasko. “I completely restored it from scratch, including the woodwork which is ash. I just started showing it last year.”

A whole lot of work went into the restoration of Graham and Ginny Bennett’s immaculate 1926 Model T Ford, too.

“All I had to start with was a shell and a whole bunch of bullet holes,” said Graham. “I pretty well made everything.”

The former heavy-duty, who now resides with his wife in Keremeos, added humourously that he “had to retire in order to get it finished.”

Cruisers’ president Pettyjohn expressed sincere gratitude to the many generous community supporters and sponsors for their help in making this year’s show such an unqualified success.