You have a couple of options to view the amazing collection of classic cars at this weekend’s Langley Good Times Cruise-in.
Most people choose to wander downtown Langley around 10 a.m. and join the crowds as they check out the many assembled makes and models.
The food and souvenir tents will be up and running, music will be playing and the event will be in full swing.
The other option involves getting up about 4:30 and bringing a lawn chair down to the corner of Glover Road and Fraser Highway. At about 5 a.m., all the vehicles that have been assembled in the Kwantlen Polytechnic parking lot begin the cruise south on Glover headed for downtown.
Like a herd of wild stallions that have been corralled overnight, they snort and jump and jostle for position as the wranglers open the gates and point them in the right direction.
Sitting in the dark, warming your hands on your coffee mug, you hear the engines before you see the cars. It sounds like thunder in the distance — heavy metal thunder, as Steppenwolf described it.
The long snake of headlights appears and the parade of vehicles pulls through the intersection, directed to their designated parking spot by the efficient parking crew.
The parking volunteers, under the direction of long-time Langley resident Fred Moncton, are well organized and well respected throughout the local car show scene. They often are requested to park cars at other shows or to give advice to other car show organizers.
As each driver approaches the intersection they are directed left, right or straight ahead to Douglas Crescent.
Once in a while, a driver will stop and make a special request to be parked in a certain location. He is greeted with a smile and ‘no,’ and directed on. If the driver persists with his request, the smile disappears. The line has to keep moving and move-in day is no time for special requests.
As the driver reaches his destination, more volunteers are there to ensure the cars are parked at the correct angle with the right spacing. Too close can result in door banging or scratches from belt buckles squeezing between vehicles. Too far apart can reduce the number of cars parked on that stretch.
Meanwhile, over in Douglas Park, the Concours de Elegance vehicles are being directed into place. The pathways will be roped off and the often one-of-a-kind classics will be arranged in such a way that the stroll is like a trip through time.
Each move over the next three hours is choreographed right from the locations of volunteer-manned barricades to strategically blocked streets that all help channel the cars to the proper location.
To sit and watch hundreds of different styles of tail lights disappear into the dark, sets the stage for the day. It will be ready at 10 a.m. and when you see the guys and girls in the volunteer shirts, say thanks.
At least that’s what McGregor says.