Car aficionados from across the region will set out from Altona this weekend for the Legends Car Club’s annual Drive for Cancer.
“We usually see between 30 to 40 cars come out, depending on the weather,” shares organizer Lyle Dunsmore, noting the club has hosted this ride in support of South Central Cancer Resource for decades.
The 2026 edition leaves from the Altona Co-op grocery store parking lot Saturday morning, with registration running from about 9:30-10:30 a.m.
From there they’ll head for Winkler, stop for lunch at Syl’s in Carman, pop by the Miami Railway Station Museum, Morden Nursery, and then back to Altona for a barbecue supper.
Registration is $10 per person, which includes supper and your first hand for the poker run. Additional hands are $5 each or three for $10. The first-place winner will take home 25 per cent of the winnings, second-place gets 15 per cent, and third gets 10 per cent. The other 50 per cent goes to SCCR.
“The poker thing is just an excuse to go for a drive with our cars,” says Dunsmore. “They don’t necessarily make us that much money, but the members are hopefully getting pledges from friends and family members—that’s when the money adds up.”
Can’t make the drive this Saturday? You have another chance to see a host of classic wheels at the fundraising barbecue and car show taking place on Saturday, May 30 in the Janzens Chevrolet parking lot in Winkler. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is by donation, with all funds once again going to SCCR.
Last year’s drive and Winkler car show together bought in upwards of $35,000 for SCCR, which offers a host of free support programs for people navigating a cancer diagnosis.
Dunsmore is a volunteer with SCCR’s transportation program, which connects people with drivers and covers the cost of mileage to and from cancer-related medical appointments.
It’s one less thing for a person to have to worry about while dealing with everything else that comes with a medical illness, Dunsmore says.
“They’ve got maybe five weeks of radiation treatment. It take 10 minutes a day, but you have to be there five days a week,” he says. “That’s 25 trips—you’ve got to hit up family and friends 25 times if you don’t have somebody who can help you out with this stuff. Plus the cost of driving there and back every day. SCCR takes care of all that.”
The agency, which relies solely on community donations, has always been a cause that’s close to the Legends members’ hearts.
“Right from the beginning we’ve supported them, “ says Dunsmore, “and, sadly, through the years we have lost a number of our members to cancer.”
If you’d like to take part in the Drive for Cancer, stop by the starting point this Saturday, May 23. You can also download pledge forms online at legendscarclub.ca.
That’s also the place to go to stay updated on the club’s upcoming summer events. They meet every Tuesday night at The Ice Cream Hut but also have car shows scheduled for July 26 and Aug. 15.
“We’re always looking for new members,” says Dunsmore. “We’re a welcoming group.”
