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Monday, 08/29/2016 10:06:38 AM

Monday, August 29, 2016 10:06:38 AM

Post# of 850
Show to bring auto enthusiasts together`

http://www.thewhig.com/2016/08/25/show-to-bring-auto-enthusiasts-together

Car lovers across Ontario and Quebec are polishing up their pride and joy this week in time for a major car show in Kingston on Saturday.

It will be the first time such a large-scale show has been held in Kingston, said Liam Burtt, who works in business development for Braille Battery Inc., which is sponsoring and hosting the event.

Called the Union Autofest, it will be held from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, behind the company’s offices at 945 Princess St. on the old Alcan property.

Braille is a main supplier of high-performance lithium ion batteries and supplies the motorsports and powersports industries. Its batteries start cars at the Daytona 500, Le Mans 24-hour race, NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar events.

Braille is based in Florida and is a subsidiary of Grafoid Inc. The complex at 945 Princess St. houses Braille’s logistics, labs and offices for Canada.

Helping organize the meet is the Limestone Street Scene, a local car club. Also involved are online parts distributors Teknotik.com and Trackwerks.

The show is bringing in auto enthusiasts from the Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto regions. They will be showcasing everything from classic cars to high-performance rides and more exotic vehicles.

“There are going to be a lot of cool, different things. Everyone from all walks of life in the motorsport, powersport community are going to come and show off their car and have a great day,” Burtt said.

There will be vendors on site, including parts dealers. There will also be a barbecue and music.

The Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs will be involved, bringing activities for kids.

“There has been a lot of support from the Kingston community,” Burtt said.

There are already approximately 200 cars pre-registered and Burtt expects the number to climb before Saturday.

“You could see 250 to 350 cars on display.”

Car owners can also just show up on the day of the event and display their vehicle.

There is no charge to bring a car for showing or to come as a spectator. That may change in subsequent years, however.

“We really just want to get some exposure and have people enjoy the event,” Burtt said.

He said the show is an introduction for Braille to the Canadian consumer market. Car enthusiasts in the race-crazy southern United States know the company well, but it hasn’t been as visible north of the border.

“Over the past 10 months, Braille has been making a real push to get involved in the grassroots scene, not only in Ontario but in Quebec and the eastern Atlantic provinces,” he explained.

“We figured, what better way to kick things off than host a major car meet. A lot of these people may be racers themselves, but they are also enthusiasts. They put a lot of time and effort and money into their vehicles.”

It won’t be like other car shows in one aspect, Burtt said.

“This isn’t a classic car show where we have people gunning for top prize or best vehicle. This is just a show and tell.”

That may also change in future years, but for now there will only be a viewer’s choice award, where people can vote for their own choice for best in show.

He explained the idea for the car show originated from a large-scale car meet that was once held in the Toronto area but is now defunct.

“There has been a real desire to have something of this scale happen again.”

People wanted it to be held in a centralized location, so if they didn’t have a trailer, they wouldn’t have to drive their vehicles too far.

So Kingston seemed like the obvious choice, Burtt said. The word “Union” in the event’s name signifies it is bringing together car lovers from Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. They will make this the area’s largest meet, he claimed.

Many cities have car clubs that gather in a handy parking lot each week to show off their rides.

“That’s usually 40 to 50 people and they are all buddies.”

And the cars are often the same each time.

“This is a large-scale car meet where there are people from across the province putting their cars on display,” Burtt said. “So it’s not going to be the same people, the same cars you see all the time at these little gatherings. There is going to be a wide variety of cars, makes, people. That’s what’s drawing a lot of people to this. They are going to see some pretty unique things and have the opportunity to show off their prize possession, their baby.”

Local car lovers already have a “tight-knit community,” he said, but this will give them the chance to meet enthusiasts from further afield.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to grow relationships.”

He is hoping this will be the first of an annual series of shows.

It was all put together in a little over five weeks because they wanted to get it done before the summer ended and people started putting their vehicles away, he said.

“It will just grow year by year and hopefully we will have a larger budget and more time to plan things.”

More information is available online at www.braillebattery.com.

mlea@postmedia.com