Written by a representative for the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce
For the past 26 years, Gull Lake Park in Gravenhurst has played host to one of the biggest and best car shows north of Barrie. The 2020 edition has run into an unexpected curve in the road with COVID-19, but organizers are changing gears to put on a show designed to thrill car lovers from around the virtual world.
Wednesday, May 20, marks the launch of registration for the 2020 Gravenhurst Car Show – Virtual Edition, sponsored by Canadian Tire Gravenhurst. The event will still give car owners the chance to showcase their vintage vehicles while they compete for the top 10 People’s Choice Awards for a wide range of prizes. That includes the first 100 car owners to register, who will get the chance to win $500 worth of tires from longtime car show sponsor Wayne’s Tire in Gravenhurst.
“This is one of the biggest events of the year in Gravenhurst, so it was a difficult decision to move the Car Show to a virtual format,” says Sandy Lockhart, executive director of the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce, who organized the event. In the past, the event has drawn up 600 cars and thousands of visitors. “Giving classic car owners the chance to show off all their hard work online is the next best thing to doing it in person.”
Anyone who wants to take part can register their vehicle at gravenhurstcarshow.com between May 20 and June 14. Participants need to take a photo of their car and then include a little bit of information about the vehicle they’re showing off. The vehicles will be posted online at gravenhurstcarshow.com between June 17 and June 24. Voters can go online and vote for their favourites, which will be broken down by era. Those who don’t want to miss their annual car show T-shirt will have an opportunity to purchase one and have it shipped to their home.
“We reached out to some of the major car shows in North America to see how they’ve been adapting, and these virtual car shows have been extremely successful for them,” says Chris Hammar, marketing and sponsorship lead with the Chamber. “We’re also in a very lucky position to have such great sponsors here in Gravenhurst. Many have already stepped up to donate prizes for car owners and it should help make this a lot of fun.”
Those who have come forward as sponsors this year include Canadian Tire Gravenhurst, Wayne’s Tire Discounter, Greavette, Cavalcade, Muskoka Springs, Northland Performance, Parry Sound Muskoka Community Network, Hagerty Insurance, Sawdust City Brewing Co, Home Building Centre, Country 102, Hunters Bay Radio, Unique Muskoka and Muskoka411.
Expect the Gravenhurst Car Show to be back at beautiful Gull Lake Park in 2021 on Saturday, June 19.
For more information, visit the Gravenhurst Chamber website. Muskoka411 is a proud sponsor of the car show.
