MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- What started out as a fun little late-summer car show on Main Street in Moose Jaw has evolved into one of the largest show-and-shines in the province.
And it’s taken only three years for the Downtown Moose Jaw Association to make it happen.
A total of 525 vehicles -- a complete sellout -- took part in the Little Chicago Show and Shine on Saturday, filling up six city blocks of Main Street from Athabasca Street West to Manitoba Street and even spilling over a block east and west onto High Street.
All those cars and trucks of every vintage known to man brought thousands upon thousands of visitors to downtown Moose Jaw throughout the day, making for another incredibly successful event.
“It’s bigger every year, this is Alex (Carleton) and Leslie’s (Bulin-Campbell) brainchild, they spearhead it and we help them with it, and it’s great to see this kind of event down here,” said John Iatridis, vice chair of the DMJA. “There are over 500 vehicles here so it’s growing every year.”
As one might expect from a car show of its size, there was a little bit of everything for automotive fans to check out. Vintage vehicles from the 50s could be seen next to modern-day hypercars, with even a few camper vans and motorcycles mixed in.
Folks were also able to take in entertainment from a handful of music stages set up throughout the downtown area, offering another round of attractions to the event.
One thing that was immediately noticeable in almost every show car was the care and effort that went into their display -- with some especially beautiful examples displaying awards won at prestigious car shows from all over the country.
“They’re beautiful, they’re all gorgeous to me,” Iatridis said. “Some of the vehicles and the time people put into them is just incredible and it’s great to see so many out.”
The Show-and-Shine also comes at a good time of year, with the DMJA helping ease the transition into fall and the colder months with fun end-of-summer events -- each of which has seen outstanding community support.
“It’s really good,” Iatridis said. “The downtown is coming out of a busy summer and getting into the fall, it’s easy for things to be a little gloomy, but the city is really good at putting together and supporting events at this time of year. We had the big concert last weekend, then this weekend the Warriors getting going, it’s really nice to see things busy down here.”
Interestingly enough, there’s still a lot of room to grow, too. With Main Street north of Athabasca open, hundreds more vehicles could be slotted in should organizers decide to make the Little Chicago Show and Shine even bigger and better in 2025.
“We try and have a few different events every year, we’ve had a good turnout every year and it keeps growing,” Iatridis said. “Things get a little better every year, you learn a little more every year and we’re hoping it’ll be even bigger and better next year.”
