Filling the Peach Orchard Campsite, near the waterfront in Summerland, the 350 Hot Rod enthusiasts enjoyed fair weather, wholesome family fun, admiring appraisal, and enviable bonhomie. There is nothing so satisfying as answering the questions of an admiring car buff who is looking over your 'baby' while reminiscing about his youthful past. However, bragging rights remain the purview of the person who took a piece of used and abused metal and with loving hands (and sometimes a bit of brute force) bent, moulded and folded a rusting hulk of junk into a polished piece of mechanical and aesthetic beauty. Some of these mechanical creations are simply so beautiful they shouldn't be on the road they should be in a glass-enclosed container in a museum so the dust won't settle on them.

Arnie and Susan Veageois from 100 Mile House came down for the second time with their '56 Chevy Half Ton because "Summerland treated them so well they 'had' to come back"! Susan observed that there were more young people than ever adding a new dimension to the mainly 'grey haired' fifties set and adding a modern dimension to Hot Rods with flame throwers and bouncing hydraulic lifts. Jim and Edith Morris of Penticton, in their eighteenth year at the Run, brought their vintage '57 Meteor with Continental Kit with them. Morris has contributed considerable beauty to many Rods over the years based on his profession as a 'body man'.

Wayne Cherney, retired RCMP constable from Summerland, brought his '55 Meteor 2 door, hardtop - lovingly restored and polished. Frank Kinney of Summerland (member of the Organizing Committee and attending for the 25th year) represented the hard-core longevity of the Hot Rodders. Now in his 60's, Frank has never really left his teen years. This retired communications veteran has a 'few jalopies' that he has built and restored including 'Gramps' the 1950 Chevy half-ton Pickup that was passed on to him from his grandfather. Like many of the participants in the Hot Rod and Restored Classic Car industry 'Gramps' is his favourite. This 'work of art' is literally a piece of him and it occupies a particularly special place in his heart. Frank has done what many of us wish we had - held onto that special vehicle that was so much a part of our life and who we are!

The Blossom Run is organized and run by a Joint Committee of members from the Okanagan Rodtiques and Kelowna Kustoms. The Blossom Run is conducted as a 'Private gathering' for club members only in the Peach Orchard campsite. To accommodate the public's desire to view these 'works of art' the Run hosts a public viewing in Summerland Memorial Park on the Saturday for a four-hour period. That viewing is preceded by a 'Blossom Run' that takes in Penticton, Okanagan Falls and then Memorial Park. See the pictures on this page and go to http://hotrods.ca/ and http://www.peachcitybeachcruise.com/

Gloria Flaman 

2007-June