Despite the heat wave sweeping through southern Ontario, between 200 and 250 cars filled the streets of downtown St. George during the Business Association’s fourth annual Classic Car Show on Sunday, June 22, 2025.
Throughout the event, several hundred residents took the opportunity to check out the different vintage, antique, classic and newer model entries into this year’s show including a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood, a 2009 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR, a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible and 2022 Corvette C8.
Both John MacAlpine, event organizer and County councillor, and Pat Cheatley, a volunteer for the event, said with the number of vehicles that turned up to the show, there were plenty of eye-catching machines for car enthusiasts to admire.
“Today we’ve got a variety of classic cars, hot rods and rat rods,” said Cheatley. “We’ve also got a couple of open-wheel sprint cars, some classic pickup trucks, and a wide selection of Mustangs and Corvettes too. There’s really a little bit of everything here, it’s like a blast from the past and there’s something for everyone.”
“The range of cars that we have here is absolutely amazing,” MacAlpine added. “There’s everything from the Ford Model T, right up to modern day Ferraris. That’s kind of what’s unique about this show because a lot of them around here don’t have this kind of variety.”
As residents and out of town visitors perused the streets, many stopped to chat with vehicle owners about the different upholstery work, paint jobs, engines, and wheels, while others swapped stories about their own cars and how they acquired them.
When asked what it was about car shows that draws people in, Cheatley said there were a number of factors.
“For one, you’ve got people who have gone out of their way to collect the car they’ve always wanted or have even built it themselves, but then you’ve also got a mixture of people walking around who are looking at cars that they would just love to have,” he said. “I also think that being able to see the cars that people grew up around in their younger years is always fun too; you often see them showing the cars to their kids or their grandkids and that’s something special to them. It’s kind of a really cool insight into where cars came from and where we’re at now.”
Bob Malins, a long-time car enthusiast who was just one of the many people entered into the show, said that he always enjoys getting to mingle with other owners.
“Of course, I enjoy looking at the cars. It’s also kind of fun when the younger crowd comes by and they want to sit in the car and take a picture because they’re interested in it… that’s something I always try to encourage,” he said. “Plus, there’s all the people you get to meet or run into and get to chat with. I actually just met someone two cars down who I haven’t seen for a long time so it was nice to talk with him and catch up.”
In addition to cars, attendees could also shop from vendors and artisans or listen to a collection of local musicians.
Guests could also pick up a shirt to commemorate this year’s event, grab a bite to eat from the South Dumfries Historical Society or check out one of the many restaurants located on the main strip.
Heidi Gorter, President of the St. George Business Association, said one of the benefits of the car show was the boost to local businesses and the community.
“It really brings attention to our downtown businesses and helps support them,” she said. “There’s also really not many events happening in the village this time of year, so it’s good for our community as a whole, because the residents get to come out and enjoy our downtown.”
Towards the end of the event, the business association handed out awards for the best in show, best modern, best classic and oldest car.
Overall, MacAlpine said he was delighted with the turnout.
“I’m just happy to be here and getting to have everybody out, especially because there’s so many variables when you do a show like this,” he said. “I’m just really glad everybody came out despite the heat.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
