A forced change of venue seemed like it was going to – at first – stall the seventh annual Burnouts in the Sky Show and Shine.
Organizer Sue Simning said the fundraiser had been held in Cloverdale since it’s conception until some unfavorable opinions put the breaks on their use of the local fairgrounds.
She said is was held at the fairgrounds until construction plans, which never actually went through, forced the show to move.
Simning acknowledged that negative connotations did stem from a few instances of “young hot-rodders being silly,” but the event means so much more beyond burnouts.
“We want to keep it more family. It’s about a car show memorializing a man who loves his family,” Simning said.
After an uncertain future, Simning said Burnouts in the Sky will be held in Aldergrove this year at the Twilight Drive-In, 3360 260th St, on Saturday, Aug. 17.
The event has always been to memorialize Bradley McPherson, Simning’s car-loving son who was shot to death on Christmas Eve in 2011 after confronting a man who was harassing a female party-goer at a house party in Newton.
Simning remembered her son was always cruising around and entering his 1980 GMC Short Box called “Emma” in local show and shines.
The car-friendly drive-in was a place McPherson apparently took his ride, making it a more-than-fitting spot to hold ‘Burnouts in the Sky’ after all.
“The venue was hard to find,” Simning added. “But we’ve made some changes. There won’t be a beer gardens this year to have a more family friendly vibe. Burnouts and beer gardens doesn’t go [together].”
The show and shine attracts between 200 to 300 participants rolling up in hotrods, customs, muscle cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more every year, with trophies being handed out to winners in various categories.
The participant entry fee, along with the $5 admission cost for visitors over the age of 10, all go towards a yearly scholarship Simning hands out to high school applicants who have overcome struggles with attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“There’s also a 50/50 draw and silent auction table going towards a cancer foundation called, excuse my French, F*** Cancer,” Simning explained.
Additionally, the day will include vendors, door prizes, and a kids area; country music artists Emily Taylor Adams and Jesse Allen Harris will also be performing live entertainment.
The show and shine starts at 9 a.m. Burnouts in the Sky website for more information.
Read More: For her murdered son, “Burnouts in the Sky’ returns to Cloverdale Saturday
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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