A dedicated group of cool and classic car enthusiasts have gathered once more in the name of diabetes research fundraising. The Rock’n August Car Show, a five-day event for people to show off their sweet rides, wraps up its 30th anniversary event this Saturday. The shows were officially launched in Edmonton in 1996 in partnership with Alberta Diabetes Foundation, which funds research at the University of Alberta. It officially became the Rock’n August show in November 2020, now making stops along the Greater Edmonton Area with a myriad of events: cruise staging, show and shine, poker runs, puzzles and family-friendly activities. “It’s been a community fixture … We have a couple of different donation streams happening. We’ve got our classic car for a cure lottery that we do every year,” Alberta Diabetes Foundation executive director Lindsay Burnham said. She says the Rock’n August show has raised $1.9 million since its inception. It’s her staff’s favourite event of the entire year. Saturday’s final show will feature between 600-700 cars, Rock’n August board member Cheryl Mackenzie says. She’s been with the charity for 15 years, and as a diabetic, has a “vested interest” in the cause. “We’re very dedicated. It’s thousands of hours and hundreds of volunteers that do this,” she said. “We have children coming with their parents to volunteer, we have parents who’ve been coming forever. We have seniors who aren’t interested in driving the cars anymore, but they’re participating in the show. It’s all the volunteers. If it weren’t for them, this event wouldn’t be happening.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Noah Rishaug
