The Sarnia Street Cruisers’ stay in front of the legion in Petrolia was cut short by saturday’s storm that wreaked havoc across the region.
“We all bailed. The clouds were green,” club president Houston Silverthorne recalled Sunday. “They were crazy.”
One club member said she had to pull over at a car dealership on the outskirts of the town due to a lack of visibility.
But they were able to gather again Sunday, this time at Preferred Towing in Sarnia, the local business regularly featured on Discovery’s Heavy Rescue: 401. Called cars and coffee, the event also featured a donation-based barbecue raising funds for a local charity.
Silverthorne said the 1,300-member club has two main goals.
“Cruising and supporting the local businesses,” he said.
The club itself isn’t a charity or a business, but a collection of car enthusiasts who regularly park and mingle in front of Sarnia-Lambton locations. About 100 showed up Sunday despite it being a cool day on a long weekend.
“Usually between 100 and 150,” Silverthorne said.
Money raised Sunday went to Ohana Landing, a short-term youth transitional housing space spearheaded by Preferred owners Tammy Vandenheuvel and her husband, Gary.
“We’re always in need of food or money just to run the programs there,” said their son, Collin, while standing in the shop next to the barbecue.
Along with raising funds for the charity, Collin said they were excited to have the cruisers come to their Indian Road South compound.
“I’m a big car nut myself. My dad’s a big car nut. We got a big parking lot here so we thought what better place to hold it,” he said.
Silverthorne said their members, the majority from Sarnia-Lambton but also from across Southwestern Ontario and in Michigan, have a range of cars from classic to brand-new.
“Not grocery-getters. We’re looking for people that are customizing their cars right back to classics, you name it, hot rods,” he said.
Strictly a Dodge club in 2013, they opened it up to the public in 2020.
“Boom. We just started growing and growing,” said Silverthorne, who drives a 1968 Dodge Polara. “In three months we had over 500 new members. It was fantastic.”
Along with visiting a variety of local businesses this season, Silverthorne said they plan to bring back their popular Trunk or Treat Halloween-themed event, but this time at Hiawatha Horse Park.
They also plan to return to the legion in Petrolia at some point.
“We’ll be back,” he said.