Jill Hayward – Barriere Star/Journal
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines – the show and shine is coming!
Yes, that’s right; a brand new event is taking form for the month of July.
Thanks to Jim Secord, the Barriere Park Show &Shine 2017, Swap Meet, Automobile &Motorcycle Event will take place on July 8 in Fadear Park.
If you’ve ever met Jim Secord you’ll recognize that when he starts to work on a project, be it a custom car or hot rod, he gets the job done.
Secord, a mechanic, says that when he retired after 35 years of servicing vehicles all over the province with BC Hydro he had a pretty good idea which community he wanted to spend his retirement years in.
“My job had me traveling all over B.C.; and that allowed me to see where I wanted to live – and where I could afford to live,” said Secord, “And Barriere was the place I wanted to be.
“I moved here from the Cariboo in April of last year. Now I’m fixing up my place and getting it the way I want it.”
Secord, whose email address starts with “hotrodjim” owns R&C Automotive, specializing in hot rods, vintage, customs, and muscle cars.
“I’ve been involved with vehicles all my life. Now I’m a hobbyist – I build hot rods for fun,” says Secord, “I have an active interest in custom cars and antiques, as well as motorcycles and fly fishing.”
Why did he decide to put together this show and shine and giant swap meet event?
“I’m really happy to be living here in this town,” tells Secord, “This is my favorite place. That’s why I want to do something for this town. What I do – I like to share it. I want to give back to the town and will be donating every nickel I raise from this event to the Barriere Skateboard Park project.”
He says there will be no entry fees and no admission fees to the public. There will also be no fees for selling at the swap meet/flea market.
“We are just going to ask people to make a donation – whatever they can handle,” said Secord. He also noted there will be a 50/50 draw at the event, “… with 100 per cent of that money going to the skateboard park as well.”
“I have posters up all over; here in town, Kamloops, Kelowna, etc. I have no idea how many vehicles will show up but the potential is here. There could be up to 100 cars. Theoretically speaking we’re looking at about 300 people,” he said.
“I have lots of verbal sponsors at this time. We also have all the trophies (14 in total), the insurance, the permit.”
“We also have trophies for the kids who can bring their bicycles for the Show &Shine; best girls bike, best boys bike – the trophies for the bikes are bigger than the ones for the cars!”
Secord says, “I am a firm believer that if we get the kids involved early they will have to clean and polish to enter their bike. I believe it heads them down the right track, keeps them busy, not doing drugs or stealing your car. If that works, and one kid becomes a mechanic – I’ve done my job.”
He notes that the swap meet/flea market is a wide open event. “It’s not just for car or motorcycle parts, it is for everything; reused, new, homemade. No charge for the spot – we’ll just ask for a donation.”
“Lunafix will be live on the stage during the show and shine, and ‘Wild Bill Fowler’ is the music coordinator,” reported Secord.
He also notes that on the day of the event the splash pad in the park will be open to “cool off”, and The Blue Jar Coffee Bar &Bistro will have a concession on site in the park.
There will be free RV and tent dry camping on the river, but campers must book early to get a spot.
The open swap meet/flea market starts at 9 a.m. and the Show &Shine gets underway at 12 noon. The prizes for entry vehicles and class trophies will be presented at 4 p.m.
Sponsors on board as of this writing are; Blue Jar Coffee Bar &Bistro, Armour Mountain Office Services, Quality Contractors, Barriere Auto Parts Ltd, Barriere Timber Mart, Sam’s Pizza and Rib House, Bad Attitude Trucking, North Thompson Star/Journal, A&W, Barriere IDA, and Insight Tire &Auto.
For more information, contact Jim Secord at 250-320-3477 or 250-672-5110, or email: hotrodjim-34@hotmail.ca.