Madison Woolhouse likes loud cars.
“They’re nice. They’re cool (and) they’re fun,” said the 16-year-old Twin Lakes Secondary School student.
Woolhouse was a member of the organizing committee for the Twin Lakes Thunderbirds Car Show held at the west-end school Saturday.
The show featured cars, classic and otherwise, said the Ramara resident.
“If you like your car and want to show it off, bring it here,” she said.
Aside from learning about how to fix up cars, Woolhouse said, this event - managed by students from the automotive program - has helped her learn project management skills.
“I’ve learned how much work it takes to plan such a big event,” she said, adding the toughest part is trying to line up car owners or car clubs and making sure they will show up.
Her friend, Shelby Harrington, agreed: “It takes a lot of effort and planning.”
What they’ve both learned is that to best manage such a show, they need to start working at least two months in advance.
“And have back-up plans,” said Woolhouse, noting that proved to be a good strategy as the event was originally planned for last weekend but was rained out.
That’s what it’s all about, said Ryan Smyth, an instructor in the automotive program.
“It started three years ago as an entrepreneurial project to teach the students how to generate an income providing a product,” he said.
The students did so by collecting donations for food, T-shirts, drinks, and services by the students of the school’s cosmetology program.
Each year, said Harrington, the students have to select a local charity to raise funds at the event. This year, they picked Building Hope and were able to raise about $1,400 for the campaign aimed at building a new homeless shelter as part of a community hub on Queen Street.
The charitable aspect of the car show is what attracted the members of the Ontario Mustang Club, said Enzo Elia.
The Bolton resident said they had close to 70 cars come out to the school, making up more than two-thirds of the total number.
“We do this not only for the love of and passion for the cars, but also to raise funds for charities,” said Elia, who is the vice president of the club.
The club, which has 6,000 members, is always looking to attract more, he noted.
“When we come out to shows like this, we get to talk to other club members and ask each other about where to get parts and stuff,” he said. “It gives us a chance to tell them about our sponsors.”
