It's still a very emotional thing for her.
For the first time, the Jack Barnett Memorial Award is going to "Best in Show" at the annual Hot July Nights Car & Bike Show in 100 Mile House, July 11-13.
Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett speaks about the award, in honour of her late husband who passed away last June, with some difficulty and grief.
“It's very thoughtful and appreciated. I think it's a great thing that people respect him. It shows you these people in these car clubs, how they're just a great big family.”
A tribute to Jack at last year's event heard the scores of drivers in Centennial Park lay on the horns and rev the engines of their classic rides.
That was a tearful scene, too.
“It was very nice,” Barnett says, adding the loss of her husband will probably always will be an emotional thing for her. “You have to learn to live with it.”
Jack was a well-known figure in the local classic car scene, and helped organize the car show, along with friend and fellow enthusiast Bo Work in the 2000s.
Organizers hope for between 200 and 250 entries when Hot July Nights runs July 11-13.
Last year, it drew 139 cars and trucks and 17 motorcycles, and many more spectators.
The 100 Mile House Cruzers Rod Run kicks things off on July 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the 100 Mile House A&W restaurant parking lot.
There's a meet and greet at the same location from 1 p.m. to 8 on July 12.
The Show 'n Shine in Centennial Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is July 13, which is where entrants will have their rides judged by fellow entrants, where visitors can check out the rows of classic cars and bikes, and where Williams Lake rock band ThirdDegree is set to take the stage.
Admission is free for spectators.
“The collector cars are a big thing all over North America,” Barnett says, adding the show draws many visitors and benefits the local economy.
“It was a big deal for Jack. It's a huge economic engine for towns ... and the friends you make, you never lose.”