I LOVE ST. CATHARINES!
I won my first trophy for the Longest Distance Traveled!
This trophy is an actual Corvette piston, which I proudly display in my office! 

At first light, Friday morning, August 8, 2008, Mother Nature was having her way with the rain as we traveled in the early morning hours from Toronto to St. Catharines to be part of the excitement of the 10th Anniversary of the GM Powertrain Show & Shine. This weather did not appear to be a promising start for a show that is held in a beautiful park setting (adjacent to the Welland Canal system) with little cover from inclement weather. But miracles happen, and by the time we finished registering, the Sun was shining bright and the rain had disappeared, at least until the final trophy presentations were made later that afternoon. 

Tom Laing, of GM Powertrain St. Catharines and infamous organizer of this event, along with his crew of volunteers, quickly processed each of the show registrants and handed out the goody bags which included a 10th Anniversary t-shirt. The only requirement to participate in this show is that your vehicle MUST be a GM product. Out of the 425+ vehicles on display, over half of them were definitely Corvettes, representing every generation and style one could enjoy looking at. 

As usual, Tom always does an outstanding job of coordinating the activities, making this a FUN event that just keeps getting bigger and better each year! This was the largest number of vehicles ever on display. It was a great opportunity to admire a large number of classics that are rarely seen any more. There were cars from the 30’s and earlier years, cars with fins, cars with huge trunks, cars in every color of the rainbow, and cars with engines of all types.

However, the star of this year’s show was a new 2009 Velocity Yellow ZR1 Corvette VIN #21! Surprisingly, it was opened up for all to inspect, and everyone took full advantage of this opportunity. I don’t think anyone left the show without a picture of themselves and this ZR1! 

 I always enjoy running into Registry members Gary and Nancy Bishop [C5R# X1856] of Ontario, Canada at this show. This is a regular stop on their traveling show circuit every year. Gary brought along his Corvette posse of local club members to this show. Gary was very kind in assisting me in making sure that every Corvette owner had a copy of the Official C5/C6 Registry Magazine and knew who we were, even if they hadn’t been touched by Corvette fever yet! 

The sounds of memorable tunes played by a DJ throughout the day certainly added to the ambiance of the event as you strolled along the rows of show cars, sampling a variety of foods, admiring the engine parts on display, all the while waiting for your engine plant tour to begin.

At your appointed time, your group would assemble in the Plant Welcome Area to receive your safety review and safety glasses. Your group would then follow along with your Tour Guide through the various manufacturing stages (engine block, pistons, valve train, and cam shaft) where you saw manufacturing and assembly processes for the LS3s and other key engines that are produced at St. Catharines. New for this year was a presentation and speaker on how the Plant manages its own environmental impact, and how they are proceeding in multiple areas to improve our MPG through new technology and design.