Organizers of Chatham’s RetroFest will not be holding one of its trademark events this spring, one year after a collision claimed the lives of two people.
Connie Beneteau, the project manager for the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA, said the classic car cruise will not be part of this year’s Rims and Ribs festival, a newly announced event that combines Chatham’s RibFest and RetroFest.
While the cruise has become a staple of RetroFest, Beneteau said the Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) has declined to facilitate the cruise by providing traffic control and patrols. She said without the resources provided by local police, “it’s just not the safest direction to go.”
“Our focus has changed from a traffic management approach to a traffic enforcement approach due to the increasing road safety issues we have been observing at these events over the years,” said CKPS Chief Gary Conn in a statement provided to CKXS News.
During last year’s RetroFest, classic cars were taking part in the annual cruise on May 27, 2022, when four vehicles were involved in a head-on crash at the intersection of Queens Line and Dillon Road. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Typically it is not event participants participating in the event demonstrating negative behaviours jeopardizing everyone’s safety, but unfortunately, we must now assist event organizers in providing a safe environment for all persons/citizens attending these events,” Conn added.
