The Historic Downtown Chatham BIA would like to thank all of the community partners that made Retrofest 2013 not only possible, but a resounding success. “It truly was a community event this year,” says Connie Beneteau, the BIA representative for Retrofest 2013. “The Retrofest Steering Committee worked as a team, and the result was truly amazing.”

Once again, the BIA teamed up with its longtime partner, the Kent Historic Auto Club, and formed a new relationship with Culture Factory, supported by RM Auctions, to present a free, live concert featuring The Trews. “It was a real pleasure working with the Kent Historic Auto Club, Culture Factory and many other community groups. The event also would not have been possible without the support of so many volunteers and, of course, the outstanding sponsors that came on board,” says Beneteau. “We also thank the municipal representatives that guided us through the process, Special Events Coordinator Patricia Peters and Sergeant Jim Lynds of the Chatham-Kent Police.”

The event was attended by an estimated 40,000 people over the weekend, one of the largest crowds to date. “It was interesting to see how closing Fifth Street and expanding into Tecumseh Park was key to accommodating such large crowds of spectators and car show participants,” says Andrew Thiel, Chair of the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA. “Almost 40 vendors were located in the park and almost all of them reported record sales.”

“This was an epic weekend for us,” says Phil and Anne Ceccaci, Owners of Coffee Culture. “It was the single biggest day sales in our four year history, and the weather really cooperated, we can’t wait until next year.”

Lachlan Kennedy, from Culture Factory, was entertainment lead for the Saturday evening concert. He says, “This was one of the best groups that I have had the pleasure of working with. They took advantage of the experience I had and let me ‘run with the ball.’”

“By bringing in RM Auctions’ support and sponsoring the concert and movie cars, amongst other items, I wanted to help make this year’s Retrofest the biggest to date, and we succeeded,” says Rob Myers, Chairman and Founder of RM Auctions. “It is a wonderful event for the community and many community leaders came together to make it memorable.”

“We are really happy with the turnout for the cruise on Friday, and the show on Saturday,” says Ron VanDeWynckel, President of The Kent Historic Auto Club. “The John D. Bradley Convention Centre group were great to work with, and we got a lot of positive feedback about the new staging area which easily accommodated the more than 450 cars involved. On Saturday, we were impressed by the more than 650 cars that registered for the show and everything ran really well.”

Retrofest has been a huge economic driver over the past 11 years, with many years seeing attendance over 50,000. “It is amazing to see how the classic car theme has embedded itself into the fabric of the community”, states Janice Wieringa, former Executive Director of the Downtown Chatham BIA.” I am proud to have been given the opportunity to work side by side so many great friends and volunteers in this community in the past. It really goes to show that the Classic Car spirit is alive and well and has a great future in Chatham-Kent!”

Every year, Retrofest involves a number of local charitable organizations and in the process raises thousands of dollars for local charities. “We were really excited to be part of Retrofest this year,” says Greg Kett, President of Rotary Sunrise Chatham-Kent, “Between the breakfast sponsored by RM Auctions and other activities we raised almost $2,000, that will go right back into the community.”

The BIA website has had accolades pouring in from all over Ontario and Michigan. “It is simply awesome that so many people had such a good time,” says Thiel. “This event was truly a collaborative effort by many partners and the entire community, everyone loves Retrofest and they proved it this weekend once again.”

The Historic Downtown Chatham BIA and Retrofest Steering Committee would like to thank all of the volunteers for their tireless efforts, as well as the following charitable organizations and sponsors for their participation in Retrofest 2013:

Charitable Organizations

• Community Living Chatham-Kent
• Kent Historic Auto Club
• Nursing Cap & Pin Club
• Culture Factory
• Crow City Roller Girls
• Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise
• Rotary Club of Chatham Downtown
• Ahcom Shrine Club of Chatham
• Blenheim Youth Centre
• Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Chatham Kent
• Chatham Scouts #4
• Scouts Camp Cataraqui

2013 Sponsors

• RM Auctions
• GDF SUEZ
• OLG
• Ontario, Yours to Discover
• Culture Factory
• A. Thiel Marketing
• Poppers Kettle Corn
• Brown’s Auto Supply
• Microage
• M.C. Business Solutions
• Hagerty Classic Car Insurance
• Coffee Culture
• Cogego TV
• ReMax
• Black Burn Radio – The Rock 95.1
• The Sarnia Observer
• Chatham This Week
• 99.1 – Five Amigos Broadcasting
• Chatham Daily News
• Chatham-Kent Daily Post
• Mr. David Stephenson
• Orkin PCO Services
• John D. Bradley Convention Centre
• South Kent Wind
• Thames Communications
• Chatham Denture Specialists
• Logix Design Studio
• Zomaron Merchant Services
• Canadian Hearing Institute
• C.L. Benninger Equipment Ltd
• Chatham Towing Services
• The Glasshouse
• Terry Peck Signs
• Outhouse Image and Design
• Kustom Karts
• Evans Wholesale-Beatrice
• Winmar

For additional information or interviews

Connie Beneteau, Historic Downtown Chatham BIA

519.352.8387 | bia@bellnet.ca