A classic car show rolled by the doors of Halifax’s Northwood long-term care home to mark the occasion of Father’s Day on Sunday afternoon.
The impromptu show was organized by Noise for Northwood, a grassroots initiative that formed on Facebook that aims to bring joy and raise the spirits of staff and residents at the senior’s residence hit hard by COVID-19.
“I live in the neighbourhood,” said Anni Isenor, who started Noise for Northwood. “I look out every night at this building and when I was going through, being self-isolated and looking down there and knowing how sick everybody was, I felt the need to do something positive.”
The vintage vehicles from hot rods to other rarities circled the facility, as onlookers gathered along the sidewalk, while many others viewed the show from their windows.
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Father’s Day classic car shows are a tradition across Nova Scotia, and with all shows being cancelled due to COVID-19, the owners and drivers were eager to get their wheels back on the road and show off their vintage automobiles.
“There’s usually five shows in the province on Father’s Day and there’s none today,” said Jane Power, a member of the Halifax Antique Car Club and co-organizer of the event.
“We want to drive. We haven’t seen each other so this is really nice to get out with everything that’s been going on.”
Northwood has been the site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak in Nova Scotia, 53 residents have died from contracting the virus and more than 240 patients have been infected.
At last count, there have been 1,061 confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified in the province and, in all, 62 people have died from the disease.
Noise for Northwood wanted to do something to lift everyone’s spirits and the same with these classic car enthusiasts.
“I’m sure that a lot of people that were looking out the windows said, ‘oh my dad used to have one of those,'” said Colin Lye, who owns a 1934 Chevrolet half-ton truck.
“I loved it, loved it,” said Doug Tidgwell, who was driving his 1937 Chevrolet business-coup. “The people loved it. Every time you went by there were bigger waves and bigger smiles.”
There’s something special about seeing these classic cars roll down Northwood Terrace, says Power. As a health-care worker herself, she knows what the people in Northwood have been through.
“When Northwood wanted to do this for Father’s Day, all I did was post this up on Facebook and got in touch with some groups,” she said. “Car people are great people and we’re all here and we want to say we love you Northwood and bring some happiness.”
Nova scotia has gone 12 consecutive days without a new case of COVID-19, and the province confirmed there are no active cases of the virus in any long-term care homes.