The
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Thursday, sepTember 4, 2014
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A weekly section that connects Cloverdale, Clayton Heights and Langley. Email story ideas to edit@thenownewspaper.com
Langley
LAMBs bring a bit o’ Britain to Cruise-In British car enthusiasts will again be parking their cars at Langley Good Times Cruise-In, set for Saturday, Sept. 6 Troy Landreville
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At Langley Good Times Cruise-In this Saturday (Sept. 6), look for a row of LAMBs parked along the grass at Douglas Park. LAMB is an acronym for Langley Area Mostly British Car Club, and for the past 10 years, club members and their cars have been regulars at the Langley Good Times CruiseIn, the community’s largest annual charity fundraising event. LAMB past president Carole Borgens has been taking part in the Cruise-In since the first year the club began showing cars at the show and shine. The club’s participation has grown, both in the number of cars shown (there were roughly a dozen cars on display in 2013) and the size of its display at Douglas Park. “It’s grown beyond just cars,” said Borgens, who is taking her 1990 XJ-5 Jaguar V12 to Cruise-In. “We really push our members to understand the joy of the day, and to come out into beautiful Douglas Park. It’s very social. You see people that you don’t see any other time, you’ll see them at the shows.” The Cruise-In charities keep LAMBS members coming back. One-hundred per cent of all proceeds from Cruise-In, including funds collected from vehicle registrations, are funneled back into the community through the charities that benefit from the event. “We are a Langley-based club, and that’s our way of giving back to the community,” Borgens said. LAMB’s charity of choice is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Langley, and proceeds from the club’s annual St. George’s show in Fort Langley goes to the local group that pairs children with adult mentors. Cruise-In allows LAMB members to disperse their support in other directions. Club member and webmaster Marty Ross is planning on bringing his Morris Minor,
Gateway of Hope fundraiser was quite a ride
Kelly McPherson and Carole Borgens are among the LAMB club members who’ll have cars on display at the Langley Good Times CruiseIn this Saturday, Sept. 6. (Photo: TROY LANDREVILLE) complete with a “cutaway” engine, in which people can see the inner workings of the engine, to the show. “It’s very interesting for the public to have a look at,” Borgens said. LAMB member Kelly McPherson is showing his four-speed, 1979 Triumph Spitfire at Cruise-In. The Spitfire is one of seven English collectible cars that McPherson owns, the oldest being a 1958 TR3, which is on schedule for a full restoration. “I came out of the Corvette world and drove a little English car, and never looked
LANGLEY — The 2014 Ride Into History brought in $20,580 for programs at Langley’s Gateway of Hope. Organizers are attributing the exponential increase in proceeds to increased community support. “Statistics speak,” said Gateway of Hope executive
director Jim Coggles. “By far the most successful Ride the Gateway of Hope has had.” Last year’s event raised about $4,000. Aldergrove Financial Group, Envision Financial and Prospera Credit Union continue to support the cause.
back,” McPherson said. “It became an addiction.” So much so, he started his own British parts company, Best British Car Parts. The appeal to McPherson is simple: “They’re fun. They’re a fun car to drive, they’re easy to maintain. Everything about them is simple.” And while the forecast calls for sunshine, the potential of rain won’t keep McPherson and most of the LAMB members away come Sept. 6. “We’re rain or shine, most of us,” Borgens said. “English cars by their very nature (are
A long list of other businesses and individuals support the event. The Salvation Army reached out to the motorcycle clubs. Two clubs supported last year’s event. This year the number grew to seven.
driven in the rain) and if you’re going to own one, you pretty much have to have that mind set, don’t you think?” Borgens said the beauty of being in Douglas Park is the LAMBs cars are behind ropes, safe from baby buggies and “things that can scratch your car,” so members feel comfortable about leaving them and venturing out into downtown to take in all the sights and sounds of Cruise-In. “You have to see what’s out there,” McPherson added. “That’s the whole flavour of the show. We’re only one lick of the ice cream.”
The Friday evening concert, which also gave people a chance to show off their bikes and other vehicles at the Fort Langley National Historic Site, brought out about 500 people, 75 classic vehicles and 85 motorcycles. About $2,900 in donations were collected.
The funds, net revenue from the Ride Into History, are earmarked for programs. Gateway provides emergency short term shelter for homeless people as well as life-skills training, counselling, job training, a community kitchen, meal programs and more.