Queen City finally gets a big Cruising event!

[cavon76]

What are you doing on Canada Day Long Weekend? If you aren't busy with the Big Bucks shootout in the Hat, then I highly recommend you make it on out to Regina for it's newest summer festival. Welcome to the 1st Annual Queen City Cruise In. Saturday, June 30, 2012 to Sunday, July 1, 2012. Two big days of catering to the inner car lover in you!

The Queen City Cruise In is going to be a new concept to the Regina area, and will be held in the newly developed City Square Plaza area in downtown Regina, just north of Victoria Park. Being that this is the first year, the plans were to keep it relatively small in order to really get an idea of what kind of turnout we could get. Fortunately or unfortunately, it has quickly tumbled into so much more.

The event itself will consist of the following:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Runs from 3pm to 9pm
Concert from 10pm to 1am pending City approval
- Poker Run for pre-registered participants
- Charity Car Wash before show and shine
- Show and Shine featuring a variety of vehicles, including drag race cars, stock cars, off road, exotic, classics, hot rods, motorcycles, and a Monster Ride Truck.
- CASH PRIZES for each class winner and runner up!!!!
- Live entertainement throughout the event and/or a DJ with a mix of music
- FREE outdoor concert after the event featuring Saskatoon's own One Bad Son and Moose Jaw's Finding Penny
- Vendor tables, food vendors and more!

Sunday, July 1, 2012
Times TBA
- 1st ever "Street Car Challenge" hosted by Kings Park Speedway
- For a small admission fee, come and take your street car on the track and have some fun!
- Also will be Monster Truck Rides to keep your little ones distracted while you blast around the track

As you can see above, this will be a pretty intense summer festival. This is the 1st annual, so pre-registration will be required in order to determine an accurate number of participants to provide to funding partners. $15 pre-registration gets you all this fun, and enters you to win some fantastic Queen City Cruise In swag!! Also, if you don't pre-register, you don't get a chance at the CASH PRIZES for each car class.

More information to be released as things progress, a website is in the works, but for now you can follow us on Twitter @queencitycruisein or Facebook "Queen City Cruise In". If you are interested in helping with the event, there will be paid positions available, so please submit your name to queen city cruise in @ gmail . com (no spaces).

Here's to a brand new Regina!!! If you think the 1st Annual's big, wait until we hit 2013. ;D

[riceslayer]

Wait... Kings park might LET us on the track??!?!?! Would street cars be allowed if we have helmets? If so I am so in for that!

[cavon76]

Street cars will be the primary target for this event, so yes, I would say you are welcome! I will get full safety requirement details from them, but from what was said at the meeting this week, it sounds like pretty much a run what you brung kind of thing, as long as it's not falling apart. (Basic safety measures)

[dragracer]

Having helmets available for rent may not be a bad idea

[cavon76]

If it helps in the interest any, not that you need any further excuse to attend this exciting event, this event is actually strategically designed to show Regina that there is a big interest in automotive related events. This will show Regina that we have all sorts of racers, businesses and interest in the car community and outside of the car community. Long term, this will lead very well into bringing back the project that fell only $250k short of a $1.2M price tag back in the late 90's to bring Regina a world-class Motorsports Park.

For those Saskatonians who are saying, well, what about Saskatoon? The great thing is, if this event is successful as it is looking like it will be, it opens the door to talking to levels of government that never before considered funding a motorsports facility. As crazy as you may think this sounds, if we can get them on board for Regina, I can almost guarantee you we can get them to help out with SIR, if the members so desire.

[riceslayer]

Don't want to start a flame war here, but $1.2m for a drag racing track that will A) Bring in more events and attractions to Regina B) Get street racers OFF the street in regina and C) bring in revenue for the city but no, completely dumb idea and not worth the measely 1.2m but yet we can spend 250m+ on a f*cking stadium?!?!?! Sorry, I don't watch or like football, but still, I find it just completely stupid that they don't consider something to fix the racing problem on our streets, maybe the cops don't want to get rid of 50% of their ticket income I guess lol.

[nasty]

What does the 1.2 million convert to in today's economy

[cavon76]

I'm with you there riceslayer!!!!!

nasty - I will be doing a net present value analysis (accountant slang) to get an idea of what it would cost in today's world, but I'm budgeting, very generally at this point, just based on that 1.2M, to MAX 5-10M. I've been told that I'm crazy to even use those figures, but the way I look at it, budget higher than expected. Especially when you compare it to our "stadium" project that our current mayor is so in love with.

Just one word of advice....don't ever, ever question him on his baby. He gets...umm....kinda defensive! No matter who you are, taxpayer, media, mayoral candidate. He pulls no punches when it comes to that project.

[cavon76]

Some more developments on this project today. I am wondering if members of the SDRA would be interested in running an event here in Regina? It would be 100% PAID work and you would be put up in a hotel if needed and meals will be provided. If you are interested, please let me know in this thread.

For those of you wondering....what does he need the SDRA for here in Regina, all I ask for is your patience. I want to get interest first to figure out who I can get to run it. Delegation is key!

[mitymouse]

As much as i would love to have a track in my backyard and not have to go to saskatoon to race. The reality is 30,000 people will go to a rider game 10 times a year, whens the last time you saw 5,000 at a SIR race? Tax payers will not fund a racetrack. Without a corporate sponsors it just won't happen. That being said I am happy to support any car show or motorsport activity we have in Regina

[27chevelle27]

Estevan area has more money than all of Regina combined. The land is purchased, plans are drawn up and we are still waiting for them to turn dirt. I would start now though it will take at least a decade to get a track going

[cavon76]

I completely agree mitymouse, corporate sponsors are key. That is the long term plan with this event, really. Sparking that interest not only by car lovers, but also by the public to accept and understand the need and desire, and to get the corporate world on board. I can tell you, so far, the response from major businesses here in Regina has been TREMENDOUS. I have honestly not heard one bad word from any business so far.

Seeing as we were $250k away from a $1.2M price tag in the late 90's, if you use that same ratio (I know the cost would have gone up significantly since then), we could reasonably expect MAX 20% government funding. That's assuming there were corporate sponsors in that $950k in the late 90's. If no corporate sponsors were a part of that $950k, then it would be very easy to make up the rest with major corporate dollars.

If you split the 20%, say 60/40 between City/Prov through a variety of ways (financial support isn't always required - in kind is always good), that should be a much easier pill for the taxpayer to swallow, certainly MUCH easier to swallow than a $348M stadium that is almost identical to what already exists.

The offshoots of a motorsports park is tremendous, and in order to garner public support (and governments) we need to demonstrate to them WHY it would be good for a community. Saskatoon is a great example to demonstrate what it's done with the Street Legal races. SGI and the Regina Police should be all over this. I will tell you I've been in discussion with the Regina Police about this event, and they sound excited to be a part of it. I have not approached SGI quite yet.

[cavon76]

I am wanting to hold a press conference on this event in mid to late May. Would love to get as many drag cars out for the media to see just how big the scene is here in Regina. Anyone interested in A) having their car on TV and in the papers and B) possibly doing interviews with the media afterwards? If you're scared of that kind of thing, don't worry, I will tell them to go gentle, or I will handle the questions for you. Chances are they will only ask one or two people other than myself. Probably to ask how big you think the car scene really is in Saskatchewan, that kind of thing.

The less stock the car looks, the better.

[riceslayer]

But stock looking cars that go like a bat out of hell are the best

[cavon76]

hehe That works for me!

[cavon76]

Thought I would share the event poster with everyone! This was designed courtesy of a brand new Regina company, reginalive.ca, and it will be featured on their website, and will be printed and distributed around Regina in the next couple weeks. Press Conference to be held on Monday, May 28, 2012 at 11AM. Will be live streamed as per my usual routine! Stay tuned.

[mitymouse]

The poster does not say where or what time any of the events are!

[cavon76]

The website will have all the details. I am modifying that poster to add the website name before having it printed.

[1BADGS]

So whats the purpose of the poster if all the onfo is on a website? I think the details and specifics ought to be on the poster, just saying.

[dragracer]

Yea the poster should have stuff like time and location with general things about the event, then say "For complete details visit ______________________"

[cavon76]

I will be modifying the poster a bit, but the purpose of the poster is just to get people interested, the website will have ALL the details, and if they only see what the poster shows, they are going to miss out on a lot of information. There is just far too much information to stuff on one poster.

[mitymouse]

If you took the picture of your car off you'd have room to put the times and locations.

[cavon76]

I didn't design the poster, I am only able to modify what I can on it. Keep in mind, this is the first year for the event, so I will take note of everything for next year's event to make these suggestions implemented for a much more effective event promotion.

[nissanman]

Next year?

[cavon76]

Very subtle changes, but not much I can do with the design I was given. 2013 will be a fresh new look, with the feedback provided taken into account. Thank you again for your assistance with this.

[nissanman]

Is this for real?

[mitymouse]

So let me see if I have this.You paid a company to make you a poster but you have no say in the design or copy?

[27chevelle27]

I don't know exactly what is going to happen with this event but I think the least we can do is cut this guy some slack at least someone is trying to do something.

[mitymouse]

I'd like to see a great car event here too, but if people dont see where too go or what time to go there your missin out on a lot of potential spectators and participants. I've organized many events and I know how important that event poster can be for first impressions. I was surprised when he said there is not much I can do that was the design I was given. If the poster can have subtle changes.....why not get place and time put on? These are all done on computer now..click click your done! No more comments from me on this subject. Good luck

[cavon76]

Actually, the company offered to do it for no charge because they liked that I had helped promote them and they are a new company as well. For no cost, I don't feel fair in asking for a lot of design changes.

Like I said, though, the place and time are on the website. It's not like this is all at one location, or at one time. It's spread out over the whole weekend.