The Cloverdale Fairgrounds was buzzing July 5 as thousands attended the National Truck Show. The annual event was held inside and outside the B.C. Vintage Truck Museum.
The show featured both vehicles in the museum's collection and many others brought down by private owners. The show is run in coordination with the B.C. Hot Rod Saturday car show held next door at Elements Casino.
Anna Dean, president of the Surrey Heritage Society, said she was pleased with the turnout for the event. The Surrey Heritage Society is the not-for-profit organization that runs the truck museum.
Dean said the truck show enjoyed better than average attendance and that event-goers showed up in droves much earlier in the day, compared to other years.
“Just a lot more people,” Dean said. “There’s a lot of trucks too. But it’s great to see so many people out.”
Dean said nearly 50 private owners brought their vehicles down for the show. She added that all the trucks, with the odd car, set up outside the B.C. Vintage Truck Museum were driven down to the show from all over B.C.
She added the event is always a good fundraiser for the all-volunteer run museum.
Dean noted the museum was recently gifted an old milk truck from a museum in North Van. She explained that all the volunteers are “pretty excited” about getting the truck over to Cloverdale.
“It was a delivery truck for Jersey Milk and they delivered mostly in North Vancouver,” she said. “It's a really interesting story and the truck has good history. They kept it inside after spending almost $80,000 to restore it.”
Dean said the milk truck was expected to make its Cloverdale debut at the truck show, but some unforeseen issues had arisen and its delivery has now been delayed indefinitely. She hopes to get the milk truck by the end of the summer.
She added her biggest concerns right now are volunteers and a new home. She said they need more volunteers and younger volunteers. And she said they need to move in about 2.5 years, so the search for a new home is entering a critical stage.
“We’re hoping to stay on the Fairgrounds,” she said. “We’ve become woven into the fabric of this city and this community in lots of ways. The community should not have to lose a museum like this.”
Volunteers at the B.C. Vintage Truck Museum have logged more than 114,000 volunteer hours since the museum opening in 2012. They restore vintage vehicles and "preserve history" for future generations, Dean said. Her volunteers have made a big cultural contribution to the preservation of history in both Surrey and B.C. since the museum opened—helping to build up Surrey’s tourism industry along the way.
“Tourists call us a hidden gem,” Dean added.
The B.C. Vintage Truck Museum is open every Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The museum is located on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds at 6022 176th Street. Admission is by donation. Visit bctruckmuseum.org for more info.
