The consensus is the 25th annual Prospectors Steak-Out Show and Shine was a great time.
More than 200 vehicles were showcased at LeBourdais Park on Sunday, Aug. 21, as part of a three-day event hosted by the Quesnel Prospectors Car Club.
“We’ve had a lot of favourable comment from out-of-town people who attended,” said club president Cory Delves.
Winning the pin-up girl contest was Kayden Heinrichs of Prince George, who wore a light blue and white dress to match her 1997 F250 7.3 powerstroke five-speed.
It was her first time in Quesnel participating in the contest and the show and shine.
”I would definitely come here again,” Heinrichs said, noting it was also her first time wearing fake lashes and heels. “There was so much fun. It was nice not seeing any masks and everyone smiling and enjoying the sunshine and all the really nice vehicles.”
Heinrichs, a self-described tomboy, logging truck driver and Ford fan, smiled after Chris Brown of Vanderhoof let her pose sitting in his 1931 Ford Roadster.
Brown attended the show and shine for the first time in Quesnel with his son, Sam.
The Roadster was built by Brown’s stepfather.
“His health is not so great anymore,” Brown said. “So I had the car shipped out from Nova Scotia and am trying to go to as many shows and enjoy it as much as possible — this one was definitely on our list.”
The show and shine was also a first for Gary Roste of Quesnel, who stood with a 1949 International 3/4 ton pickup truck that once had a box on it to deliver grain to the elevators. He remembers playing in the truck that he and his sisters would ride in with their parents in Saskatchewan.
“It was rough as hell when I got it, but I knew it was worth hanging onto,” Roste said.
His one sister remained in Saskatchewan when the family moved to Quesnel. Years later, when their farming homestead sold, he hired a tow truck to take the old International to his sister’s place, where it sat for two decades before arriving in B.C.
“My mom just turned 99, and you just never know,” Roste said, noting there are individuals his age who are in the same long-term care home as his mom. “I thought I’ve got to do this one of these years and stop putting it off.”
Before Sunday’s show and shine, a morning Rod Run to Barkerville was held Friday, Aug. 19, followed by an evening cruise and barbecue at Ten Mile Lake Provincial Park.
On Saturday, Aug. 20, an afternoon Rod Run was held in Quesnel with an evening dinner, dance and silent auction supporting the Quesnel Special Olympics and the Quesnel School District Lunch Program. The passionate vehicle owners had even made a cruise to assisted living residences, Dunrovin Park Lodge and Maeford Place.
“All around, we couldn’t have asked for better weather, and it was a good day,” Delves said of their 25th annual Steak-Out Show and Shine. “It’s the first one since the pandemic, and it’s been a long time to wait.”
Read More: PHOTOS: Awesome automobiles in Quesnel
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