The Cruisin Clearwater car club met up in Barriere with area hot rod and classic car enthusiasts last Saturday, Sept. 25, to cruise by the residents of the Yellowhead Pioneer Assisted Living and Residence.
“We did the Clearwater Cruise back in May, we did the senior centre and the hospital there, the Fall Fair Drive Thru and a bunch of the guys in Kamloops are doing senior centre cruises as well, ” said Clearwater’s Ryan Mackenzie who headed up the event. “We’re just looking for something to do before the end of the year. It’s a nice meet spot here at the Barriere Petro Station, we hope we get a few out from Kamloops, and then we can go for a drive.”
At least 10 vehicles turned up at the Petro Station to chat with friends, show off their vehicles and then follow Mackenzie down Barriere Town Road for a drive by of the seniors at Yellowhead Pioneer Residence, a loop through town and then over to Fadear Park.
Mackenzie said the Clearwater group meet every Thursday night for “a coffee and cars kind of thing” in the parking lot at Tim Hortons, and they go on cruises. He says everyone “is having lots of fun, and trying to do something that is socially distant.”
Clearwater’s Henry Workman brought his 1934 International C1 Model to the Barriere cruise, and said since he retired he’s been enjoying restoring it.
“I can’t take all the credit for restoring it myself. I did a lot of it, but I also had some help,” said Workman, who was attending the Saturday event with wife Shannon and canine companion Chewbacca, or “Chewy” for short.
The Workmans say they very much enjoy cruising in their antique vehicle.
“Yes, we have a little bit of fun once in awhile,” said Henry with a smile. “We drive it all over the place, it will go a 100 miles an hour. We’ve been to Vancouver and Alberta, we drive it all summer long.”
Asked what kind of mileage he gets, Henry answered, “Not very good, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Raena and Trevor Hansler also came down from Clearwater, riding in their 1952 Fargo truck that they are also in the process of restoring.
“We’ve been working on it since May of this year,” said Raena. “There is a little bit more we want to do to it and paint it up. The truck’s door panels say Winkler Service, so we assume it came from Winkler, Manitoba.”
She said the truck does “about 100 on the highway. The mileage is not too bad because it has an S10 engine in it and an S10 frame.”
Dwight Seymour was spotted at the cruise event standing beside his most recent purchase, a 1937 Ford Coupe.
“I get one, and then I get rid of it and get another one,” said the Barriere resident who has “been into classic cars for years. This one’s hot rodded. It’s got a Chev 350 motor in it, 700r transmission, and a Ford 90’s rear end, plus Bluetooth inside, and air conditioning.”
“I’ve never driven it to see how fast it can go, but it does go fast down the highway,” he added.
Bob and Carol George turned up for the cruise in their bright red 1934 Ford that was purchased in Michigan.
So far this year the couple have been out “two or three times” with it for cruising events such as the Fall Fair Drive Thru and a few others.
George says he’s been into cars for most of his life.
“I used to have a 1934 Roadster, and a ’32 Roadster, when I was a kid – Model A Touring Cars and Model T Touring Cars. I gave it all up in 1961 and bought a boat – and that was the end of my cars for awhile.”
However, he tells that a number of years later, he went to Reno with a friend in the friend’s Model A.
“My friend said ‘Why don’t you buy a hot rod?’” said George. “So I did – and now here I am in beautiful downtown Barriere.”
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