MALLAIG - The 2024 Cabrini Park Challenge Cup filled both sides of the street and every available parking lot along its length on Saturday, as visitors from across the Lakeland and beyond gathered for a day of multiple competitions.
Much more than the bean bag challenge cup, the day started with a pancake breakfast and featured competitions for a lineup of 42 tractors and 52 cars and trucks, as well at Mallaig’s first-ever Parking Lot Pickleball tournament.
Bean bags started flying from the hands of 52 teams at 10 a.m., while late arrivals were still enjoying their pancakes, and resumed at 2 p.m. following a noon-hour break and the very impressive parade of tractors large and small, spanning roughly six decades in age, some restored and some original.
The parade, followed by Mallaig Fire Department’s pumper truck and its rescue unit, was barely over when the first paddles hit their mark in the pickleball tournament in front of the seniors’ centre, with bean bags again flying farther down the park in an area bordered by the huge car, truck and tractor shows.
With an array of prizes sponsored by no less than 44 sponsors, there were seven main awards handed out.
Winners were:
Original Truck - Clarence Smith with his 1929 Ford one-ton truck
Restored Truck - Ole Lotsberg with his 1981 Ford F-150 truck
Original Car - Art Gratton with his 1972 Plymouth Sebring
Restored Car - Russ and Estelle Kellar with their 1951 Chevy Powerglide
Original Tractor - Garth Crooks with his 1929 Rumely Oil Pull
Restored Tractor - Hagen Family with their 1953 Cockshutt 20
The People's Choice of all the cars, trucks and tractors displayed went to Noel Gratton with his restored 1912 Case Steam Tractor.
The Teen Baggers were repeat winners of the Cabrini Park Challenge Cup, with the Stalking Dead placing second.
Over at the Parking Lot Pickleball tournament, Jeremy and Michelle Scott were the 3.0 Mixed Team winners, while Cathy and Ian McGillivray took the 3.5 Mixed Team title.
