Thursday, May 22 brought weather so perfect that it was seemed almost made to order for the classic car show held at the Niverville Heritage Centre. Members of the Country Classic Car Club rolled into town in their vintage rides that night, bringing smiles to the faces of the seniors who fondly remember when they were new.

Sandy Kihn is the car club’s organizer of these events. She tries to bring car shows to seniors living facilities four times per summer.

“It’s really special for the [seniors],” Kihn says. “Some of the older cars they remember, so it’s kind of nostalgic for them.”

This was the first such car show the organization has held in Niverville. Until now, they’ve focused on Steinbach’s seniors facilities, since that’s where the majority of club members reside.

For a first time showing in Niverville, Kihn says they had an impressive turnout.

The shows typically last about an hour and a half, she says, but old car enthusiasts of all ages kept the Niverville show going for a full three hours.

“We had just shy of 60 cars at the Niverville Heritage Centre,” Kihn says. “We had cars coming from Sprague, two from Beausejour, and one from Lac du Bonnet. They came from all over.”

There was some strategy in planning the car show for a Thursday night, she adds. It was also wing night at Hespeler’s Cookhouse and Tavern.

Cindy Plessis is the coordinator for Niverville Service to Seniors and the local organizer of Thursday’s event.

“We decided to host it in the [Heritage Centre] parking lot because it’s a bit of a hub for where the seniors are,” Plessis says. “It was really convenient for them just to pop over and take a walk down memory lane. A lot of our seniors are isolated and lonely, so it was nice to [see them] get out and socialize with other seniors.”

It was also the perfect opportunity to host a raffle table for the Niverville mobility van fundraising organization. 50/50 raffle tickets continue to be sold until June 15 and the jackpot is already nearing $6,000.

The mobility van is something Plessis says her organization will make good use of.

“With the amount of seniors that we have, we do tons of day trips, but we don’t have accommodations to take them,” Plessis says. “So we mostly book busses from Winnipeg or the Handivan from St. Pierre.”

This is exactly the kind of need the Country Classic Car Club believes in supporting on an annual basis.

Every September, they hold the Cruising for a Cause fundraiser, raising money for the Pat Porter Centre of Steinbach. These funds are earmarked specifically for costs related to medical transportation for seniors.

Last year, the club raised $16,000.

The Country Classic Car Club has been meeting since 1979. They have about 70 active members and hold regular car shows in the parking lot of McMunn and Yates in Steinbach every Wednesday night throughout the summer.