There has been much speculation and misinformation circulating since the Langley Good Times Cruise-In Committee announced its decision to suspend the car show next year. I would like to set the record straight about the reasons for cancelling the show in 2010, and emphasize that the Cruise-In is not over: it has simply been put on hiatus.

The Langley Good Times Cruise-In was first held in downtown Langley City in 1997. A few hundred cars participated, drawing a crowd of thousands. At that time, volunteers who formed the Cruise-In Board staged the event to showcase cars, put their community in the spotlight, raise money for charity, and hold a free, safe, fun event that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.

That goal has not changed in the past 13 years. But since then, the Cruise-In has grown to become one of the largest, most popular car shows in North America, with 1,500 cars registered and 100,000 people in attendance.

With growth and success comes new challenges, and recently the Cruise-In Board has faced some challenges that are serious enough to make us concerned for the future of the show.

First and foremost is safety. The Cruise-In has thrived because it forbids alcohol, speeding, and dangerous stunts. But in past years, car owners not affiliated with the Cruise-In have been coming into Langley City the Friday night before the show and doing burnouts and smoke shows. With thousands of people on the streets, the chance of a car going out of control or a child running in front of a vehicle is a horrible possibility.

These activities are by no means sanctioned by the Cruise-In. In fact, the Cruise-In holds an official cruise that takes vehicles away from Langley City and out into rural Aldergrove that night. But the unsafe actions of others tarnishes the reputation of the show.

During the 2009 Cruise-In, something happened that has never occurred before: a few car owners did burn-outs during the show, on the Cruise-In site, one in front of the souvenir tent where thousands of people were gathered.

The Cruise-In is run by volunteers, who do not make one cent off of the event. We do it because we love it. We are car enthusiasts, and we are thrilled to give all our net proceeds to charity. But if we can’t manage to keep the show safe, we are not going to do it. All it would take is one incident, one dangerous action to get out of control, and the Cruise-In would be gone for good.

Liability is an issue: several years ago, the Cruise-In was named in a lawsuit involving a woman who was struck on the Langley Bypass, even though the incident had nothing to do with the car show. As well, Langley RCMP are finding the weekend of the show more difficult to police.

Other factors have come into play because as the Cruise-In has grown and changed, so has the community. While the majority of merchants are thrilled with the car show and are great supporters, others are not. The City of Langley has been a wonderful partner in the Cruise-In over the years, but new bureaucratic issues have come up recently which need to be addressed.

Running the weekend-long Cruise-In is a massive undertaking, and hundreds of valuable volunteers help out during the show. Thanks to them, and the support of car lovers and the community, we have donated more than a million dollars to charity in the past 13 years.

For the Cruise-In directors and sub-committee members, organizing the event is a year-round task. Some key Board members have served for more than a decade, dedicating more than 800 hours a year and two weeks of their vacation time to the event. Why? Because they love the Cruise-In and believe in what they are doing.

But over the years, problems have built up and challenges have multiplied, making it more difficult to run the Cruise-In and taking a personal toll on volunteers who also work and have families. It was a hard, serious decision to make, but some members of the Cruise-In Board and sub-committees realized they needed a break.

There has been no in-fighting or disagreements between members of the Board, the sub-committees, or volunteers.

We are not lacking in help, as we have an abundance of enthusiastic volunteers.

And I hope we do not have to move the Cruise-In elsewhere: its unique location in downtown Langley City is the charm of the event.

But after long and hard thought and discussion, we realized we need to re-group and restructure the event. Since we do not want to offer a half-hearted car show that would not be of the quality and standard people have come to expect, the Cruise-In Committee has temporarily suspended the show while we accomplish this.

The Friday night cruise to the drive-in will no longer be held, but the Langley Good Times Cruise-In itself is not dead. It is still active, it is still here. We will come back, but first we have to deal with several issues, and I am actively meeting with the City of Langley mayor on an ongoing basis to help ensure this happens.

We love the Cruise-In more than anyone else.

Our hearts are in this show. That is why we do it.

Thank you for your understanding during this transition.  

Sincerly,

 

Riccardo Sestito,

 President ,

Langley GoodTimes Cruise –In Society