The event is held in memory of Brandon Thomas, who was “a huge car enthusiast,” said his mom, Kim Thomas.
“We started the event in memory of him, and a passion that he had in life.”
Brandon, 17, was the victim of a fatal car accident in December of 2012. He was killed when an impaired driver was traveling on the wrong side of the road and struck Brandon's car in a head-on-collision.
"[Brandon] wanted to go to SAIT and become a journeyman and open a performance shop,” Thomas said. “We thought this would be a good way to help others that shared that dream. And also raise awareness about the dangers and impact of driving impaired.”
In 2020, despite the ongoing pandemic, the Show Your Ride for Brandon amassed a large socially distanced gathering in support of the event, something Thomas hopes to see again this year.
“[Last year] there were way stricter sanitization and cleaning rules ... We maintained the Porta Potties and the washrooms and the touchable surfaces. We also enforced social distancing,” she said.
Thomas said along with the many changes that happened in the previous year, changes were made to the way they did the raffle prizes and the trophy awards to avoid having a big group gathering in front of the stage.
The event is scheduled on Aug. 29 at the Calgary Stampede Park, Thomas said, and much of the same health precautions can be expected for the 2021 Show Your Ride for Brandon.
“We looked at what worked really well [from previous years] and things we need to improve on. We're always changing the event and trying to make it better for participants and for our team, as volunteers and committee members and board members and for our partners as well," she said.
With hopes of loosened restrictions this year, Thomas said, they are looking to go back to a regular event, similar to the 2019 show.
“But if not, we are willing to go forward and know that we can hold another safe event. We had zero cases last year as a result of our event. So, we're very proud of that.”
As a result of the ongoing financial strains from many businesses, Thomas said, "A lot of our previous partners that have been with us for many years are not in a position to partner this year or have only been able to partner [fund wise] a lesser amount which we totally understand.”
Despite the financial troubles with partners, Thomas is eager for what is yet to come.
“We are always looking for partners to come forward and help out with what they can ... Last year was our biggest event," Thomas said. "We were proud to be able to go forward and proud that we were able to give people an event that they could look forward to and a message that they support and just a day to get out and be with other people.”
This year's event will feature on site Dyno by: Rev'D Performance, trophies and awards, a 50/50 as well as raffle prizes, a kids parade and food trucks.
“We just hope that people come out and support the message, don't drive impaired. Take that with them, not just the day of the event but every day, and remember that message."
