The Ontario Jaguar-OnLine
 
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Grill Badge 2007 Summer Run Grill Badge
 
To the Antique and Classic Car Show at Wellington County Museum and Archives
Sunday, Aug. 26
 
All photos courtesy of Ross Hamilton & Jeff Booth 
By Jeff Booth
The Ontario Jaguar
 

WE'VE all heard that old chestnut about being unable to herd cats.
But did you know that you can parade them? 

Yup. You can. That's what happened when a pride of OJOA members and friends gathered at the Fergus Recreation Centre, on the east side of town, as part of our 2007 Summer Run.

x The rec centre was the marshalling site for a the parade of antique, classic and special interest cars that made up the annual Antique and Classic Car Show — over on the other side of town. The show that was our ultimate destination was hosted by the Wellington County Museum and Archives, on its sprawling and and vertically challenging front  lawn.

The museum -- an impressive 1877 limestone edifice -- is a National Historic Site and presents a wide variety of cultural and artistic shows on an ongoing basis ... and an annual car show.

The OJOA Pride came together by several different means: one group met in Mississauga and enjoyed a paced 85-minute tour along arterial and county roads to the marshalling point; another group drove down from the Georgian Bay area to marshall with the others; and some others yet drove directly to the national historic site.

In all, about 20 Jaguars ended up on show, in the good company of about fifty other vehicles, ranging from early nineteen-teens Fords, to a De Lorean (yes, that Back To The Future Car) to classic trucks (one even hauling a live goat) and a 1939 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. x

Organizers offered participants complementary hot dogs and drinks upon registration and an opportunity to vote on your favourite vehicle.

x In addition to strolling up and down the grounds to view the vehicles, meet friends and chat, everyone also had the opportunity to enjoy the museum. The high-atop-a-hill building was originally built  as the House of Industry and Refuge, providing shelter for the "deserving poor," the aged and the homeless for almost a century.

On Canada Day 1998, a commemorative plaque was erected by The National Historic Sites Board of Canada, to celebrate our building's rich heritage and mark its place in history as the oldest House of Industry in Canada.



x While there were very many marques at the event, many no longer in production, there was one which was head and shoulders above the rest when it came to numbers. You guessed it, the largest single group there was the Pride of Jaguars.

Afterwards, the OJOA group retired to another equally historic location, to enjoy more good company and a good meal. The destination this time was the Fergus Brewhouse, built of stone and situated at the very edge of the Grand River. The Brewhouse seems to have enjoyed as many lives as it now has ale taps. It was originally built as a home, then became a tannery, then became a flour mill, then became an electrical generating plant - and is now a very comfortable brewhouse.

          Wellington County Museum website, click:  http://www.wcm.on.ca/

       Fergus Brewhouse website, click: http://www.fergusbrewhouse.com/



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TO THE REAR: You meet the nicest cars in a parade.....
Our group drove east-to-west through beautiful Fergus.
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TO THE FRONT: Yes, that's a De Lorean in front.  Yes, it's one of those Michael J. Fox cars that starred with the Canadian actor
in the Back To The Future series of films.
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Och, aye.  Yee're on the rrrrright rrrrrroad.
Fergus has deep Scottish roots.
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The Wellington County Museum and Archives was built in 1877
for -- and this is pure Victorian morality
at play here -- "the deserving poor."
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The Wellington County Museum stands high atop a hill west of Fergus, just about in picturesque Elora. It is also a National Historic Site.
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PARADE'S OVER! Time to get onto the vertically-challenged front lawn of the former workhouse.  This photo doesn't show it too well, but the Antique and Classic Car Show took place on a fairly steep slope.
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Now, what's a car show without a band.......!
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... and what's a band without a base drummer.  "Ok guys, stay in tempo, stay in tempo  ..."
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Many of our Jaguars assumed the bonnet up position for the show.  The XKs always attract lots of attention. This one's owned by OJOA member Gord Linkletter. Also, that's OJOA member Nelson Burkhart to the right (black shorts & straw hat).  He currently holds 3rd Place in North America for Ser. I E-Type Slalom racing. His blue E-Type is just behind him.
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For those who took the time to explore the side ground of the museum, there were some lovely gardens waiting to be discovered.
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And in the garden to the east of the building there's a statue of the Duke of Wellington, the so-called Iron Duke himself, known to history for his action against Napoleon and for twice being British prime minister.
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OJOA Editor Alan Brand's found some ground, and he's gonna stay there and relax.
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Same with OJOA Director Bob Barrett.
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Former Director Michael Woodman, left, and current Director Dan Lokun.
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OJOA member Maureen Dunne, who's lovely XJS is an award winner.
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OJOA's Patricia Norris knows how to stay calm, cool and collected on a warm day.
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Ditto for hubby, Scott, who seems to be holding onto a spare hat.  (Jaguar owners are like that, ya know. It always helps to have a spare thing or two.)

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QUICK: Find the old goat.     Yes, he's to the left. That's OJOA Slalom Chairman Ross Hamilton holding congress with Mr. Ram.
Ross, by the way, is currently the holder of 1st Place in North America
for Slalom racing in a Ser. I E-Type.  Like Nelson Burkhart, he earned
his current slalom honour recently at a Slalom track set up at
the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


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QUICK:  Find the old goat -- V2.0.

For those of you who said the critter on the left .... well, take a bow, because you're correct.  The goat added an interesting dimension to the auto show because its presence reminded anyone who cared to visit him that even decades ago, trucks were hauling livestock. Check out the photo at left to see the truck and its period livestock trailer.
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HOW TO HERD CATS. Take them to a car show and let them line up .... it actually seems to come naturally for many of them.
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BONNETS UP!   Everone wants to look at those lovely engines....
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The Norris's lovely X300 to the left, Gib Montgomery's Ser. III V12 Vanden Plas to the right.  That's Gib behind his VDP, wearing the hat.
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Henry Ford changed history with this car, the Model T Ford.
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Low, svelte, cute. A bugeye sprite and a ??
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An early '50s truck finds a new life as a gleaming
show vehicle.  This truck was stunning. Clearly,
hundreds of hours of care have gone into its restoration.
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Remember when you first started "playing around" with cars. That activity blossomed into a lifelong trend for many of us.  This low-to-the-road hot rod is the pride and joy of that young man sitting to the far right. He says it has a pneumatic suspension which allows him to raise the body at will.  Right now, it's about 3 inches from the ground.
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What was it that Henry Ford said early on about his cars?
 "You can have any color you want, so long as it's black."

Weeeeell.......
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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE:  Do yo see what's wrong with this wheel.
If you can figure it out, you know a lot about the owner.
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Here's the powerplant of an early Ford Model T.  Note the flashy red, which goes oh, so well, with the brass radiator and brass acetylene lamps.
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APRES EVENT:  Early supper/late lunch at the Fergus Brewhouse.  The old stone building was
as cool as a cucumber inside.
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The Fergus Brewhouse is a former home, former tannery and former electrical generating
facility.  It's built right at the edge of the Grand River.
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Ahhhh, the end of a full day.  Some folks did the car "thing" at the show. 
Others, went to nearby Elora to do some boutique shopping.
Everyone went home happy ... which makes the day a success!

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