Street Machine Weekend returns to Lethbridge, minus the cruise
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on July 13, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com There’s nothing like the smell of exhaust, the roar of souped-up engines, or the sun’s glare off a custom-painted classic car, to excite the senses of any automobile enthusiast, and there should be plenty of excitement when the Street Wheelers Car Club host its annual Street Machine Weekend beginning Friday.Hundreds of cars, trucks, motorcycles and other tricked-out vehicles will converge on Lethbridge this weekend and provide a unique sensory experience as the vehicles cruise around the city and strut their stuff during various events.
The weekend’s activities begin with a poker run between noon and 5 p.m. Friday, in which participants drive their vehicles to six destinations and choose from each a playing card, hopefully to build a winning poker hand and earn some prizes.
On Saturday, get ready for some adrenaline-pumping action at Exhibition Park where participants and spectators alike satisfy their need for speed during the 100-foot drag race in front of the grandstand.
Starting at 10 a.m., vehicles of all makes and models, many with supercharged, turbocharged and nitrous-fuelled six and eight-cylinder engines will roar down the 100-foot strip to see who can reach the fastest speed in only a matter of seconds. And while mufflers are mandatory, there’s still going to be plenty of noise coming from the screaming engines, not to mention from smoking tires and the cheering crowd.
Curtis Landry, who is vice-president of the Street Wheelers Car Club and has been a member for only a year, has put his own vehicle to the test. Someone might be fooled by the rust-coloured 1978 Cutlass Cruiser station wagon he drives, but in that short 100 feet of tarmac, Landry has reached a speed of nearly 100 km-h with his 4.8 litre turbocharged engine.
The weekend’s festivities will conclude Sunday with the always favourite Show and Shine at Galt Gardens between 8 a.m. and noon, followed by award presentations at 3 p.m.
The Show and Shine will boast some of the finest two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles that will ever be gathered in one place in the city; from newer cars and trucks that look like they arrived right out of the showroom, to classic vehicles, low riders and an assortment of muscle cars that have been lovingly restored to their former glory.
Landry notes there is no car event like Street Machine Weekend anywhere else in the province, and participants come from the U.S. and neighbouring provinces to show off their rides and be part of the action.
“They’re coming from everywhere,” Landry says.
Unlike previous years, the crowd favourite cruise in which vehicles drove up and down 3 Avenue in a parade of freshly washed and waxed vehicles will not be held this year. Landry says the event has fallen victim to low volunteer support and the challenges posed by changes to 3 Avenue near Galt Gardens which creates a bottleneck. But who knows what the future might bring, he adds hopefully.
William Landry, Curtis’s father, is also hopeful to one day see the return of the cruise. Landry was part of the cruise last year and drove his 1947 Jeep station wagon. He’s driven several vehicles in the cruise over the years, which isn’t surprising since he’s one of the founding members of the car club, which started out with only about eight members.
“A couple of guys got together and decided to make a car club,” William recalls.
He also fondly remembers Ross Spencer, a founding member of the car club and former president. Spencer died in 2021, and last year’s Street Machine Weekend was a memorial to him.
The other sad news is the 2023 Street Machine Weekend ends Sunday. The good news is the Street Wheelers Car Club will cure any temporary depression by holding drag races at the Warner Airport on Sept. 9.
Racing along a one-eighth mile strip begins at 10 a.m. and costs $10 to attend. Cash payment is preferred, and while E-transfers will be accepted, service at the airport is unreliable. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
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