Hagerty Family Fun Fest brings analog fun to Ontario
Stayner, Ontario – On September 24th, in Stayner, Ontario, Hagerty held it’s first-ever Hagerty Family Car Fest in Canada, where more than 300 youth and adults were able to experience a variety…
Stayner, Ontario – On September 24th, in Stayner, Ontario, Hagerty held it’s first-ever Hagerty Family Car Fest in Canada, where more than 300 youth and adults were able to experience a variety of iconic classic and collector cars.
“While technology is moving at hyper-speed, the Hagerty Family Car Fest gives families a chance to set their cell phones down and bond over a love for driving,” says McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty. “Giving children and families access to see, touch, and drive cars that are truly cool is not an everyday experience for many, and we were thrilled to bring this immersive experience to Ontario.”
Held at the Edenvale Aerodrome, families and enthusiasts were able to participate in fun car-related activities including a car show, a Youth Judging program, virtual reality race simulator and model building. Young drivers ages 16 to 25 also took part in the Hagerty Driving Experience, where participants were taught the ins-and-outs of starting, operating and driving a variety of manual transmission collector cars.
“The clutch is so much more sensitive and responsive in a classic than a modern vehicle,” said Leighton Eberts, 19, of Kitchener, Ontario who found out about the event while watching online car videos. “I taught myself to drive a manual on a Kia Rio while working at a dealership, but I’ve never had a chance to drive cool cars like these – it was a blast! I could really feel the movement of the pedals, the shift of the gears and hear the engine. With most modern vehicles today, we are so insulated to the true experience of driving.”
Throughout the day, participants were able to get behind the wheel of several vehicles including a 1964 ½ Ford Mustang, 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, 1958 MG Magnetite and 1965 Chevrolet Corvair.
The event also featured the conclusion of the Hagerty Maple Mille, a budget-minded driving adventure through the backroads and highways of Ontario for 1979 and earlier touring and sports cars. This un-scored, non-competitive event through the Classic Car Adventures collective explores approximately 1,300 kilometers of driving over a three-day period.
In an effort to give back to the Ontario community, donations and proceeds from the Hagerty Family Car Fest are being contributed to the Yves Landry Foundation. The foundation was established by leaders in Canada’s manufacturing and business sectors to advance technological education and skills training to resolve the skilled labour and technical professional shortages facing Canadian industry.
Hagerty plans to host future Family Car Fest events in Canada, as well as with their U.S.A. and U.K.-based offices.
About Hagerty
Hagerty also provides online Valuation Tools and publishes Hagerty Price Guide,
which are the premier price and value guides for post-war collectible automobiles.
For more information please visit www.hagerty.com/valuationtools.
