One of the biggest car shows on Vancouver Island kicks off on Sunday, Aug. 4 at Parksville Beach.
This year marks the 24th anniversary of the much anticipated Oceanside Overdrive Summer Show and Shine, a long-standing tradition of combining bright sunshine, huge crowds of spectators and hundreds of custom, classic, and modified cars, trucks, hotrods, and motorcycles on the picturesque set of Parksville Beach.
Renowned as the largest open car show on Vancouver Island, the Sunday afternoon beachside Show and Shine is typically attended by over 500 vehicles, with nearly as many taking part in the Saturday Night Cruise.
One of the most popular parades on the Island, the cruise begins Saturday Aug. 3, with an assembly of hundreds of vehicles at the Parksville A&W in preparation for the traditional Cruise, leaving at 6 p.m. for a meandering drive through the waterfront neighbourhoods to Qualicum Beach.
The next day gates open for show cars at 8:30 a.m., the public show starts at 10 a.m., judging commences at 11 a.m., and trophy presentations start at 1 p.m. Registration is $20 and is open to all classes of vehicles. There is no charge for spectators.
This year’s event is organized by community based campus radio station CHLY-FM, broadcasting at 101.7 Mhz on the FM dial, and is only possible because of support from local people and businesses.
Thrifty Foods, the Kinsmen Club, CHLY-FM, and many other local businesses, organizations and volunteers have stepped forward to ensure that this important tradition continues to flourish.
This year’s main stage will feature classic cruizing tunes broadcast live by CHLY-FM DJ’s as well as live music performed by local blues-rock band, The Distributors.
The event will be broadcast live on CHLY-FM 101.7 Mhz during the Saturday night cruise and from the Sunday show, so tune in on your radio during the event to catch all the music and action.
If you are not able to make it to the beach that day but would still like to see some chrome and colour, check out the live audio/video stream on www.tv.chly.ca.
To pre-register your vehicle for the show or to enquire about vending or sponsorship opportunities, visit the Oceanside Overdrive event website at www.oceansideoverdrive.ca.
— Submitted by Jesse Schroeder