91原创 Good Times Cruise-In charity car show is coming up. And in advance of the huge community event being held in downtown Aldergrove on Saturday, Sept. 10, the 91原创 Advance Times has put together a series of stories talking about the people involved and the festivities planned. Stay tuned here, daily, for more about the upcoming Cruise-In.
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By Frank Bucholtz/Special to Aldergrove Star
This year鈥檚 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In poster features a classic car in front of the old B.C. Telephone Co. office in Aldergrove 鈥� which is now home to the Aldergrove museum, run by the Alder Grove Heritage Society.
It couldn鈥檛 get more Aldergrove than that.
Since the show relocated to Aldergrove from 91原创 City, the town has embraced it and Cruise-In volunteers definitely appreciate that warm welcome.
Artist Blair Howatt, a Walnut Grove resident who has been doing the Cruise-In posters since 2005, felt the welcome as well and determined to give this year鈥檚 poster an Aldergrove feel.
Howatt loves being part of Cruise-In each year. His posters are collectors鈥� items, and are used as the basis of each year鈥檚 T-shirt, as well.
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He is a car enthusiast who currently is devoting his efforts to a 1986 GMC Sierra square box pickup. He has had many muscle cars in the past, Mustangs, Malibus and Monte Carlos, and has a soft spot for them, as well.
鈥淚 like to buy vehicles that are in good shape, but there is always something wrong. I want to personalize them, and with this truck, I have added some new wheels,鈥� he noted.
鈥淚鈥檓 not a mechanic, but I do trade my art for mechanical help.鈥�
He is both flattered and amazed by the reaction he gets from people about the posters.
Many ask him to sign them, and tell him that they have every one of them.
Cruise-In is known for attracting people back again and again, and that reaction to the posters is pretty good testimony about its continued popularity with car show visitors.
Howatt has a thriving art business that he operates on the side, as he holds down a regular job, too. His art business has been growing, and the COVID-19 restrictions helped it even more.
鈥淎 lot of it is car-related,鈥� he explained. 鈥淚 do a lot of caricatures and cartoons, and I have a lot of repeat customers.
He almost always has projects on the go, and when The Star spoke with him, he had finally cleaned up a backlog of art work.
鈥淚 feel satisfied when I have done a project. It can be a lot of work, and making deadlines adds pressure, but it is enjoyable.鈥�
Cruise-In is very important to him.
鈥淭he show has always been close to my heart,鈥� he shared. 鈥淚 am friends with a lot of people who are involved with it, and I鈥檓 a car fanatic. It鈥檚 a passion, I guess. I have loved cars since I was five or six years old.鈥�
More information and pre-registration available on the
READ MORE: Jimmy Shine will be back in-person at the 91原创 Good Times Cruise-In
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Have a story tip? Email: roxanne.hooper@langleyadvancetimes.com
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