A weekend that attracted thousands of local residents and out-of-towners to downtown Chatham has raised $250,000 for three local charities.
The RetroFest / RM Sotheby’s 40th Anniversary celebrations kicked off on Friday, June 21 and carried over to Saturday, June 22. Organizers said the money that was raised will go to the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent, Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation, and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation.
“I could not be more proud of our planning committee and volunteers for putting on such an amazing event and I’m very thankful to our community for coming together and enjoying it all safely and happily," said Fannie Vavoulis, RM 40th anniversary event chair.
RM Sotheby's 40th Anniversary parade. June 21, 2019. (Photo by Matt Weverink)
A parade and classic car cruise through Chatham kicked off the festivities Friday afternoon.
Friday night's concert at Tecumseh Park featured Walkin'47 and Sam Roberts Band. Kid Rock -- who had surprised local residents with an appearance during the parade -- also stepped on stage during the Sam Roberts Band's last song. Organizers said over 4,000 people were at the park, adding the proceeds raised will go to support the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation.
During Saturday's festivities, over 800 collector cars were on display at the Kent Historic Auto Club Classic Car Show, drawing an estimated 25,000 people to downtown Chatham. Throughout the day, local bands played at Tecumseh Park, and there were kid-friendly activities, which included a soapbox derby, a petting zoo, and the LEGO Brick Experience.
Live music, art and some of the "most valuable cars in the world" were also featured at the RM 40th Concours D’Elegance. The money raised through the Concours tickets went towards the Children’s Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent. Although specific numbers were not given for how many people went inside the Concours, organizers said about 25,000 people visited on the RM Grounds on Saturday.
The weekend closed with a concert at the Capitol Theatre, featuring Superfly and Canadian rock band Big Sugar. Organizers said over 1,200 tickets were sold for the show, with proceeds supporting the Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation.
"I couldn’t be more pleased with our 40th Anniversary celebration," said Rob Myers, founder, chairman and CEO of RM Sotheby’s. "We had such a great turnout this weekend and we not only raised a few eyebrows, but we raised an impressive amount of money for three charities that are very close to my heart. I’m beyond thankful to all the organizations and volunteers that got involved to make this truly the best collector car weekend that Canada has ever seen."
Although the main charitable weekend is over, another donation will be made later this summer. Couture watchmaker Richard Mille is donating an RM 11-03 watch, valued at approximately $125,000 - $175,000, in honour of RM’s 40th Anniversary. The watch will be auctioned off during August 15-17, and that money will then go to local charities chosen by the Myers family.