Queen Street Cruise a car collector's dream come true (16 photos)

The parking lot of GFL Memorial Gardens hosted the Queen Street Cruise Saturday, as people came out in droves to see the roughly 200 vehicles on display.

“When you put a year’s worth of work into planning it, it’s really nice and satisfying that you see the cars come out today,” said Gary Trembinski, organizer of the Queen Street Cruise. “We got a full parking lot, we got a ton of cars and they’re all having a good time.”

Trembinski says the event, now in its fourth year, is a nod to Sault Ste. Marie’s past.

“That was our heritage,” he told SooToday, while standing beside his classic Corvette. “I mean, before we had cell phones, if there was anything going on it was happening on Queen Street.”

“So you used to come down on Queen Street, sit in the parking lot here for a few minutes and one of your friends would pull in, then another friend would pull in. The next thing you know, you had a half a dozen friends, and you’re having a ball,” he continued. “It’s true, that’s the way it was. Bumper to bumper traffic every Friday, Saturday night.”

In the first year for the Queen Street Cruise, organizers donated the registration money to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

But in the past three years that the event has taken place, the cruise has served as a fundraiser for ARCH Hospice.

Trembinski says that 100 per cent of the registration money collected from the event will go to the local hospice.  

“ARCH is fully funded, basically, by volunteers - and they need our help,” he said. “And what better cause is that?”

The Queen Street Cruise has raised between nearly $20,000 for charity before this year’s event.