There wasn’t a parking spot left in Saint-Chrysostome on July 22 as a massive crowd turned out for the highly anticipated return of the town’s demolition derby.
With weather forecasts predicting storms right up until Friday evening, organizers Cynthia Hébert, Jamie Pouliot, and Alexandre Monière took a chance and decided to hold the event as scheduled. “Mother Nature was against us, so we had to come up with several plan Bs throughout the week,” says Hébert. The fields surrounding the site which had been designated for parking were too wet, so four parking areas were established in partnership with local businesses and a shuttle service was put in place.
Luckily, the skies cleared, and a little mud didn’t faze the drivers or the crowds. “We doubled the number of spectators that we were expecting,” says Hébert. “The turnout was just incredible,” she adds, noting there were over 4,000 people on site for the event. This includes 87 drivers who took part in the various classes which saw 100 cars meet their end on the track.
“We are really tired, but we are really happy,” Hébert says, noting the event also raised approximately $1,000 for the Aidants du Haut-Saint-Laurent organization through a drawing for a derby car, as well as well over $5,000 for the ALS Society of Quebec.
“It was a really big team effort,” says Hébert, who acknowledges the event would not have been as successful without the team of 63 volunteers who made sure things ran smoothly despite the crowds. Hébert says the organizers are also very thankful for the municipality of Saint-Chrysostome’s collaboration. “We are ready to do it next year,” she says, but they need a few days to rest before approaching the municipality about 2024.