Caledon Cruisers are building community, one cruise night at a time

By Zachary Roman

When the weather gets good, you can see a lot of nice cars on the road in Caledon.

But nowhere in Caledon can you see more great vehicles than at the Caledon Cruisers' weekly cruise night events, held on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to dusk at the Bolton Canadian Tire parking lot. 

The events always feature a 50/50 donation draw, music, and great conversation with fellow auto enthusiasts. The events are family friendly and anyone is welcome to come, whether they have a car to show off or not.

The Caledon Cruisers support various non-profits with their donations, such as Caledon Meals on Wheels, Family Transition Place, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Bethell Hospice.

Pasquale Tortorici has lived in Caledon since 2000 and has been the president of the Caledon Cruisers since 2014. He explained this year is the second year the Cruisers have been back since the pandemic, which forced the club to suspend meetings for a while.

He said more and more people have been coming out again and that things have been going really well — the Caledon Cruisers have 45 official members right now.

“We've introduced more of a family theme, we give free tickets to the kids that come out,” said Tortorici, explaining they can win something from a prize table. “A lot of families come to enjoy the show and participate, so it's more of a social gathering now. We're trying to be more inclusive of everyone in the community.”

While cars bring everyone together, the weekly meetings can be just as much about making friends and meeting your neighbours. 

“The social aspect, getting to know people and the community… it's nice that you can walk into a store and recognise people and say hello,” said Tortorici. 

The Caledon Cruisers are trying to encourage more young people to come out and enjoy the show or show their cars too. Tortorici said it can be a great way for the older club members to pass on advice to younger drivers.

Tortorici said the club is all about giving and that it's a great way for people to contribute to their community while surrounded by people with similar interests. 

“This is our community, we make it what it is,” said Torrotici. “So, if we're giving and helpful and trying to promote that throughout the community then this is an opportunity to make it better.”