LAC LA BICHE - For those who perhaps weren’t interested in the midway, Indigenous market, food festival, or activities that took place over the August long weekend for Lac La Biche Summer Days, there was the third annual Ethos Show and Shine.
The Ethos Show and Shine featured roughly 35 classic vehicles owned both by residents of Lac La Biche and those who came from other areas of Alberta. The event, which is hosted by Ethos Mechanical Inc., took place on Aug. 3 from 12-4 p.m. inside the Bold Centre Swamp Cats Arena. People could walk around the arena floor checking out the variety of muscle cars, antiques and semis on display.
Besides being given the opportunity to show off their vehicles, those who registered for the Show and Shine event could also win prizes such as tool kits and gift certificates. For its inaugural year, the Ethos Show and Shine was hosted at the Ethos Mechanical building while for the 2023 Lac La Biche Summer Days, the exhibit of classic vehicles was set up in the parking lot of Aurora Middle School.
While quite a few of the vehicles at this year’s show were from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, there were some newer models-as well as a very old car-a 1937 Dodge Brothers Business Coupe.
There were a few sports cars on display as well, including a classic black 1980 Firebird Trans Am that was brought to the show by Dale and Angela Wilchiw of Radway. Dale Wilchiw has owned the car for the past three and a half decades. In addition to the Trans Am, he also owns a homemade dune buggy.
“I bought it in 1989 for $700 at the dealership when I started,” Wilchiw told Lakeland This Week, adding that the Trans Am is now worth $30,000.
The last time the Wilchiws were in Lac La Biche for a show and shine event was in 2000.
Recently, during a similar show and shine event in Radway, the couple spoke with some Lac La Biche residents see if there were any shows in the area. After learning about the Summer Days event, they decided to come to town for the day.
According to Wilchiw, show and shine events such as the one put on for Lac La Biche Summer Days go a long way in keeping the car culture alive and kicking.
“Maybe there’s some young kids that are interested…they see a car and they’re like hey, I’d like to do that and keep it going,” he said. “If we don’t, it’s just going to die.”
While the Wilchiws have not attended car shows steadily for close to a decade, now that their children are older and have left home, they are started to go again. In the past, they have gone to shows in Mayerthorpe, Camrose, Vegreville, Cold Lake, and Bonnyville. As of Saturday, they had plans to attend another show and shine event in Tofield.
Travelling to different shows, he says, is a lot of fun, particularly ones that are hosted in small towns around the province as opposed to the large cities.
“There’s something different at these little towns…I don’t like going to the ones in Edmonton…I don’t like sitting there on pavement baking in the sun,” he said.