Over 500 classic and special interest vehicles were on display in support of local charities

[caption id="attachment_24914" align="alignright" width="300"] Over 500 vehicles were lined up in the Rec Centre field for Chestermere residents, and car enthusiasts to admire on Aug. 24. The Chestermere Show and Shine is a community-building event, where residents are encouraged to spend the day with each other, and build friendships. Photo by Emily Rogers[/caption]

The eightieth annual Chestermere Show and Shine brought special interest vehicles of all kinds, including a helicopter to the Re Centre field on Aug. 24.

"For the first time ever, we landed a helicopter," said Chestermere Show and Shine Event Organizer of three years, John Kittler.

"Besides 100's of cool cars, we're the first car show that we know of that a helicopter is on display," he said.

Adding, "It rained a little last night, so the grass was nice and green, and there was no dust."

All of the proceeds raised from the Chestermere Show and Shine are donated to three local charities, including the Chestermere Regional Food Bank, Easter Seals Camp Horizon, which supports Albertans with disabilities and medical conditions, and the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre (AARC).

"Every dime from this event goes to support those three local charities," Kittler said.

"All of the money raised here goes directly to those charities. Nobody is taking any money out to spend on other things they call business expenses," he added.

Along with donating the funds to the selected charities, watching roughly 500 classic, and special interest vehicles drive onto the Rec Centre field was a highlight for Kittler.

"People came out in droves. It's amazing the car owners, and the order they came in here," Kittler said.

"There are at least 500 cars in the field, everybody paraded themselves in here and parked nicely," he said.

Without the support of everyone who came to admire the vehicles, the volunteers, and the Chestermere Lakeside Kruzers, the annual show and shine wouldn't be possible each year.

"The Lakeside Kruzers are the ones that give us the horsepower to run this event. If it weren't for the Lakeside Kruzers volunteers, I wouldn't be able to do it," Kittler said.

The Chestermere Show and Shine encourages residents to park beside each other, get to know each other, and build friendships.
"This is a great community-building event for Chestermere," Kittler said.

"Chestermere needs to get out and do things that make us a community and not a suburb of Calgary. If we don't do stuff like this and embrace it, we're just going to be a Calgary suburb," he added.