Drivers make a stop at the Kalamalka Lake lookout just south of Vernon as part of the 2015 Kelowna Spring Cruise.
Image Credit: YouTube
May 29, 2015 - 11:32 AM
OKANAGAN – An annual car cruise which started a few years ago as a way for friends and car enthusiasts to show off their rides, has grown to include hundreds of 'tuners' from across the province.
Tyson Noel organized the first Kelowna Spring Cruise and has seen it go from fewer than 50 cars to more than 230 in just a couple years.
“It’s gotten bigger every year,” he says. “It’s mainly for import (cars) but it’s open to everyone. We have domestics join us and even some old 40s hot rods, a few trucks and sport bikes joined this year.”
The massive group of vehicles starts in Kelowna the first Sunday in May and drive Highway 97 to the Kalamalka Lake lookout just south of Vernon.
“It’s a good spot to take photos and it’s also where we usually pick up a few more drivers,” he says.
They then head north to Salmon Arm where they set up a sort of car show where gearheads can show off all the work they have done over the winter.
“It’s just a gathering to get everyone excited for the summer season,” Noel says.
Noel says just because many of the cars are equipped with high performance parts doesn’t mean they have to go fast to have a good time.
“It’s a cruise, not a race.”
One of the participants, Jordan Finkel, put together a video that shows the sheer number and quality of cars which made it out this year.
“It attracts a lot of people,” Noel says. “We've had people come from all over the Okanagan and we've even had some people come up from Vancouver to join us."
He says next year they plan to make it a fundraiser for a local charity.
For more information or to take part in next years Spring Cruise, visit the Kelowna Car Life forum website.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015