Penticton

Bikinis replaced by cars

Bill Everitt - Aug 3, 2014 / 4:02 pm | Story: 120345

Photo: Bill Everitt

After 30 years of the Mr Muscle and bikini contest, Junior Chamber International Penticton decided to put on a car show this year.

The Jacked and Juiced custom car show, as the muscle and bikini contest always was, is a fundraiser for the JCI Summer Day Camp for Kids, an event they've been sponsoring for about 20 years.

More than 40 vehicles were in the show which attracted more of a family crowd to the east end of Skaha Beach.

Carlo Carbajal who is the current past-president of JCI Penticton and one of the co-chairs of the car show said "After 30 years it was just time to make a change. We wanted to go to a bit more of a family-friendly event.

With this, we still have the beverage garden for the older crowd, but we've also got the bouncy castles, the rock wall and the face painting for the kids."

The kids can play by donation and the money raised helps cover a few kids for the camps.

Carbajal said there was talk of combining the car show with a fitness competition this year, but they didn't have time to put it all together.

"It would have been Less T&A, more of a real fitness competition."

JCI vice president Lisa Fitzgerald said every one of the 30 or so people involved is a volunteer. About half the group is JCI members and the rest are friends and family.

She said they have attracted more of the local residents and family people and said she doesn't think they have gotten any of the Boonstock traffic.

She said JCI supports Boonstock as a new event in town, but they still really need people to come visit.

"The beer garden has been quiet this year," she said. "We are non-profit and we are committed to donating around $4,000 to $5,000 to this camp like we have done every year, even if we end up taking a hit on it."