We couldn’t have asked for better luck with the weather—or better company, with Roux (our Golden Retriever) and Micca (Roux’s Shadow Cat) tagging along—for the 18th Annual Pender Island Car Show, sponsored by the Pender Highlanders. While it was the milestone 18th year for the event, it marked only our second time attending—and it has quickly become one of our absolute favourite traditions.
We joined in on the beautiful leisurely drive from Port Browning Marina along Bedwell Harbour Road, ending up at the Pines just behind the Community Hall. The setting itself was stunning, with the classic cars beautifully dispersed among the shade of the trees.
To our absolute delight, Hudsons were out in full force!
Our friend Karl brought an incredible lineup—nine in total, if I counted correctly. His collection ranged from a 1919 Essex all the way to a 1929 Essex Challenger, and remarkably, every single one of them was running. The star of the show, Karl’s stunning 1923 4-passenger Speedster, naturally stole the spotlight. Our own ’53 Hudson was the youngest Hudson on the field!
Karl’s son also made quite an impression as one of the event’s talented pipers. The Pender Highlanders delighted the crowd with a fabulous array of bagpipe tunes, playing every hour throughout the day.
As if piping wasn’t enough, he also brought along his 1951 Hudson Commodore coupe to add to the impressive lineup. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for his daily driver—the 1946 Hudson truck he brought last year, which he keeps running like an absolute charm.
I even got a turn behind the wheel myself under the clever guise of “helping out”, I was absolutely thrilled to get to drive the 1919 Essex. But no sooner did I step out of the vehicle than Micca decided she needed to check it out for herself—and she promptly took over the driver’s seat!
The show offered plenty of treasures beyond classic cars. There were some fascinating vintage machinery displays that took us right back in time: We got to see an impressive, restored vintage Maytag washing machine fitted with an engine. It was a great reminder that Maytag originally focused on farm machinery before becoming a household laundry name. Another real crowd-pleaser was a DeLaval 1 1/2 hp engine. It gets its “hit and miss” name from the distinctive way it fires only when it needs to maintain speed. Once used to power farm equipment, this particular unit was recovered by Karl Hamson and beautifully restored by Ron Henze (also a piper).
Karl also had a impressive full display of the history of wheels!
The wonderful day of cars and history didn’t end at the show. Karl very generously hosted us at his place for a camping spot, Our Golden Retriever, Roux, was absolutely thrilled to hang out with her buddy Max again. Meanwhile, Micca, our cat, had to teach Max a quick lesson about boundaries. Once Max realized Micca wasn’t interested in his version of playtime, all the animals settled into a wonderfully peaceful campsite coexistence.
Looking back, it’s funny to think that just last year, we still thought Micca might remain a strictly indoor cat. That idea has completely gone out the window! She now officially has the run of the place, happily trailing behind Roux and us wherever our wandering road trips take us.
Hey Wait! … There’s More!
Karl has designed and put in a beautiful trail on his property called “Molly’s Trail” for the whole community to enjoy. We took a lovely walk through it, and—as is her norm now—Micca followed right along with us.
We followed that up with a hike up to George Hill. Micca sat this one out, of course—she is just a cat, after all! It ticked all the right boxes: rigorous enough to let us feel mighty pleased with ourselves, but not so gruelling that we wished it would end. The reward at the summit was the absolute best kind—a breathtaking view from the top. To top off a fantastic outdoor day, we took a peaceful stroll through the Enchanted Forest.
What a perfect weekend of classic cars, great friends, and fantastic music!