Rockwood Cruise Night will be hosting its last event of the season, and perhaps forever, on Sept. 27.
The fundraiser, which has been a fixture in the community for 20 years, faces an uncertain future as organizers seek a new location for the two-hour monthly event.
Rockwood Home Hardware has hosted the cruise night since its inception, but due to a lack of parking for customers and apartment tenants during the show, manager Paul Wilson says they had to decline putting on the event next year.
“I have tenants that live upstairs and when they come home at night they have to park down the street,” he said.
“I think it’s good for the community, but when it started affecting the people who live upstairs and pay rent, it came down to having to make a decision.”
Wilson added cruisers showing up early was also an ongoing problem.
“Some of these cars were starting to show up at 4 o’clock or 4:30 in the afternoon and it was making it difficult for (customers) to come in and shop here,” he said. “If it wasn’t interfering with either my business or with the tenants that live upstairs, I’d still be doing it. I wouldn’t have any problem, I think it’s a great thing.”
Event organizer Lisa Dayman says anywhere from 10 to 60 people come out each month with approximately $1,000 raised annually for the Guelph Wish Fund for Children, a local charity that grants wishes to terminally ill children.
Because they also need to serve food and have washrooms available, possible venues in Rockwood are limited.
“They need a fairly good-sized parking lot,” said Wilson. “My parking lot is completely full when they come, so it has to be a decent size.”
Dayman says organizers have until spring to find a new location and they hope a local business will step forward.
“It’s been going on for 20 years so it’s kind of a shame,” she said. “But I’m not holding my breath because there’s not many parking lots that are big enough.”
