After 30 years of hot rods, cool trucks and custom bikes, the Westlock Wheels of Class is parking its annual show ‘N shine.
The 30th annual show ended on a high note July 9, with over 120 cars on display at Lindahl Park, located behind the Pioneer Museum.
“We’ve accomplished what we set out to accomplish,” said club president Tom McMillan. “When we started, there was hardly any car shows. Now, there’s several this weekend alone.”
McMillan said that in its first year, the show had 40 cars and hit its zenith with 187 cars a few years back. For long-time attendee Henry Lipka, the end of the road is sad.
“I go to all the car shows,” he said. “The Westlock show and shine is my favourite. You get more people through here than some shows in Edmonton.”
Lipka was showing off several of his restored rides, including a 1935 Chevrolet pickup and a 1955 Chevy Bel Air wagon, which he had just finished restoring.
“I had nothing to do,” he said. “It gave me something to keep my hands busy. I like keeping the old classics on the road.”
Les Thompson, who had made every event, brought out his Canadian-built 1955 Pontiac Laurentian, only one of 2,800 ever built. While he was taking offers on the beast, he added he isn’t in a hurry to part with it.
“She’s been a good one,” he said. “I just love being here. Winning the contest is nothing, it’s all about just having fun.”
Gene Spitzer, another long-time attendee, brought his 1932 Ford three-window Model T. He said he would miss the opportunity to see unique vehicles that come with big shows like this.
“If you’re lucky, you end up seeing something you’ve never seen,” he said.
For McMillan, running the show was a labour of love, though he emphasized the labour part of it.
“If somebody told me 30 years ago that we’d still be going, I would be pretty surprised,” said McMillan. “It’s not hard to do, you just don’t stop.”
While organizing another car show is off the books, the Wheels of Class are nowhere near done.
The club is planning to spend its efforts planning ice cream runs, steak nights and other driving activities.
A road trip is already in the works, though an exact date and destination hasn’t been hammered out yet.
McMillan invited interested gearheads to follow the Westlock Wheels of Class Facebook page, where he would have updates.
Beyond that, McMillan said that while the Wheels of Class is done organizing big car shows, they were more than happy to attend them if another group decided to host a car show.
“If somebody wanted to pick up the torch and run with it, we might even show up,” he said.
