Saw an interesting post on the ‘Ontario Car Scene‘ IG page: this past Saturday night would be the first car meet at Kennedy Commons in years. There was a note from the organizer:
KEEP IT CHILL !!
COPS WILL BE PRESENT
IF WE STAY CALM THEY WILL LET US BE !!
Is the weekly car meet at Kennedy Commons really starting up again? As part of the Canadian racing and car=culture scene, Demaras Racing had to find out.
Two cars to the meet. Daniel drove his Bugeye WRX (the one with the EJ257 engine and ‘STi pinks’ suspension) and Chris brought out his vintage ’92 SVX on air-suspension. A GoPro was stuck to the windshield of Chris’ Subaru as he made his ‘mad dash’ across the 401 to Kennedy Rd.
Although the meet up was pretty small, and very tame compared to years ago, it was great to see the local event back from the dead.
There was a huge variety of modified vehicles on hand. Classics like a Blobeye Subaru, an NA Miata with a massive body kit and a convertible 240 SX from before the turn of the century.
Younger enthusiasts arrived in late model BMWs, 370Zs and one fully customized Dodge Challenger. Come to think of it, there were plenty of American muscle cars, and the Fords parked next to one another in Mustang Alley. Cool!
Of course, there were some hooligans; that’s inevitable. Young men and women so excited to be at the car meet that they’re revving their engines, popping-off their exhausts and trying to impress the opposite sex by driving a little too fast in the parking lot. That’s when the organizer stepped in, reminded them of the ‘rules’ and asked them to either play nice or leave. In retrospect, the police in unmarked cruisers along the periphery didn’t bother anybody, and there was no point in antagonizing them.
Kennedy Commons is kind of a ghost town lately. The movie theatre shut down long ago. The late night coffee shops close early. The big Chapter’s book store (an anchor of the plaza) closed its doors last year. Even the burrito joint didn’t stay open late enough to reap the benefit of hundreds of hungry people with only one take-out place open. Like they say, you can’t go home again.
No, the Kennedy Commons car meet is not what it used to be, but in time it might develop into its former glory with 1,000 cars in the parking lot on a Wednesday night.
Luckily, Scarborough still has some late-night dining ‘institutions’ like Johnny’s Hamburgers on Victoria Park Ave just north of the 401. Too bad those guys don’t have a car meetup in the parking lot. That would be perfect. Heard they used to back in the 60s.