The green flag is ready for the fourth annual Weekend of Wheels on Sept. 13.
On July 14, town council approved a special event application by the Innisfail Downtown Association (DBA) for the Weekend of Wheels, a local fundraising event, which is hoped to attract up to 250 vehicles, a record number for the event. Last year 180 vehicles registered for the annual car show.
With council's approval of the special event application organizers will receive in-kind services from the town, including six garbage and recycling receptacles, town sponsorship and advertising.
The downtown car show will once again take place downtown with street closures on 50th Street from 49 Avenue to 52 Avenue, and on 52 Street from 50 Street to 49 Street.
Set up for the event starts at 5:30 a.m. with the Show 'n Shine car show beginning at 8 a.m. and running to 4 p.m.
This year's Weekend of Wheels will see the popular shootout event scrapped but a beer garden added at the Henday Mall, from 6 p.m. to midnight. There will be a $2 cover charge to enter the beer garden, which will include a free beef on the bun.
Debra Stoski, president of the IDA, said organizers were forced to cancel the popular shootout largely due to the difficulty in finding enough volunteers.
“It is a lot of work doing a shoot out. You need lot and lots and lots of people to do it and to pull it off,” said Stoski, adding the shootout is also a significant cost to organizers who rely on sponsors to cover expenses for the entire day-long event.
She said because organizers don't have their own equipment they have to pay and rent it from another towns. Stoski said insurance costs are also high. She added the town does not have enough bleachers and organizers were forced to rent and build them to accommodate the crowds, and then take them down when the event was over.
“Eight people were doing all of this by themselves and we need more. It is just too much for our group. So what we are doing instead is have a beer gardens,” said Stoski.
She said the event will once again have amenities for citizens of all ages, including bounce houses for kids and food vendors. Stoski said local businesses are also invited to put out tables on Main Street during the car show.
“The whole idea of this is to tell people what we have and what we have doing, so they can take a piece of the sidewalk and set up something about their business,” she said.
Stoski emphasized the annual event will keep its fundraising focus towards adding to a fund for a special downtown project.
“We are trying to build up a fund that eventually we will use in the downtown core, whether it be a town clock or a gazebo. There are all sorts of things we could do. We just haven't specified yet as to what project the money is going for,” said Stoski.
“We have talked to the town about it and they said there are numerous projects we could do, and so we are just going to wait until they come back to us so we can get the perfect one,” she added. “But it is all coming back to the community. Any monies that we earn goes into savings for the community.”
For more information on the Weekend of Wheels, or if any citizen wants to volunteer or help in any way, call Stoski at 403-505-6160.
