Rockin Ronnie’s car show is back

Weekly car shows are back on at the Sister’s Trading Post parking lot, following a successful season last year.

Every Saturday, Kahnawa’kehró:non and non-locals alike are encouraged to come down to the ice cream parlour on Route 138 to show off their wheels and talk cars at “Rockin Ronnies.”

“Vehicles of all ages are invited,” said Anthony Robertson, the manager at Sister’s Trading Post. “Everyone’s welcome.”

He and Ronnie Campbell came up with the idea to host the car show together after meeting last May at another car show Campbell runs each year in Chateauguay.

By the end of the summer, the vision became a reality. There were so many cars sometimes that drivers would have to park out in the field next door.

“It was great. A lot of people came out from all over,” Robertson said. “We’re hoping that when it gets nicer, a lot more people will join us.”

It doesn’t matter if your car is worth $40,000 or $2,000, all drivers are welcome, said Campbell, a mechanic from Chateauguay.

“When I do a car show, I do it for everybody. I don’t get anything - I volunteer, just so everybody can have a good time bringing their cars,” said Campbell, the owner of a blue 1972 Chevrolet Nova.

“Every time I have a car show, I always see older people come in and talk about the cars they had back in the day. That’s what I do this for.”

First, second, and third-place trophies are up for grabs each Saturday, Campbell said. They also host one-minute burnout contests each week too.

The first car show of the season was hosted last Saturday. Since the weather wasn’t too great, not that many showed up, said Megan Jacobs, the owner of Sister’s Trading Post, but there are plenty of sunny weekends to come.

“Usually, the old men don’t like to take their cars out when it rains,” she said. “As the weather gets nicer, it’s usually pretty booming here.”

The shows begin at noon and usually go until sunset, or until “the mosquitos get really bad,” as Jacobs put it. 
There’s always a food truck too, she said, if visitors are looking for something hot to eat. Last weekend they had burritos, quesadillas, hot dogs, and french fries.

“The food is always something different,” she said. “It just depends on who we can get to come.”

The weekly car shows are expected to run until fall.

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