Coasters Car Club couldn’t have asked for better weather in downtown Sechelt Saturday, Aug. 10, with just enough sun to reflect off the gleaming polish jobs of the dozens of antique, vintage, muscle and modern cars lining Cowrie Street, and just enough shade to protect the thousands of vehicle enthusiasts who showed up to admire them.
The event was just one part of the club’s 27th Annual Sleepy Hollow Rod Run and Show ‘n’ Shine, which took place over three days and included the “Rod Run” to Halfmoon Bay Friday evening, and saw almost 4,000 spectators line the highway between Sechelt and Halfmoon Bay to cheer on the vehicles and drivers.
The weekend also included a free corn roast and meet and greet at Hackett Park, the Cowrie Street event on Saturday, and a second show ‘n’ shine in Pender Harbour on Sunday. Also on Sunday, many of the drivers headed to the drag races at Sechelt Airport, to show off their hot rods.
It was on Cowrie Street Saturday morning, when John Tommasini proudly showed off his vintage, “ermine white” Chevrolet Bel Air, decked out with a disco ball, pelican and other quirky collectables. Wearing a brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt and straw cowboy hat, the Surrey resident greeted everyone with a grin and friendly hello.
“I don't go for trophies or anything. I just go for fun,” Tommasini says of the show. “As you can see, I’ve got a few decorations and stuff. And people think I'm a big overgrown kid, but that's okay, I’m a 72-year-old kid.”
Tommasini says he bought the car 44 years ago, when a buddy he was playing hockey with told him about a “little old lady,” who was selling it. He paid $1,600 for the car at the time, and then put another $8,000 into its restoration.
“And, all of a sudden I’ve got this beauty,” he says, noting his daily driver is a vintage, 1990 GMC van he also restored.
Proudly showing off a photo of the van, Tommasini points out its Hawaiian-inspired details, including a strip of tropical print running along the bottom of the vehicle. Tommasini notes the design is a copy of the fabric that makes up his favourite shirt. The van also boasts a mural of a shark holding a surfboard.
“People see that and say, ‘Oh, do you surf?’” he says, laughing. “I say, geez, I can barely walk on land.”
Further down the street, Halfmoon Bay resident Chris Haglund was also showing off a surf-inspired vehicle, but this time a 1954 Chevrolet wagon. Haglund has done some surfing in his day, but not with his prized possession.
He notes it took some effort to get the wagon, which he purchased off a heavily armed veteran in Arizona 20 years ago. He then hired a shipping company to get the vehicle to Vancouver, which initially tried to extort him.
“You're stressed when you’re going through it, when it's an ongoing battle. But now with it sitting here, you know, it's home now,” says Haglund.
The Bel Air and Chevrolet wagon were just two of the 450-plus unique vehicles that took over the Sunshine Coast for the Festival of the Rolling Arts, which took place Aug. 9 to 11.
