How cruise night could provide a template for revitalizing Brandon's downtown

On the first Thursday of the summer months, downtown Brandon is filled with the sounds of revving engines and camaraderie.

Cruise night has been a staple on Rosser Avenue for more than 20 years, bringing hundreds of cars and people to a downtown that has struggled with revitalization, says Dave Burba, president of Road Rebels car club and a member of Brandon and Area Car Enthusiasts.

Anywhere from 200 to 300 cars — as long as the weather is nice — are on display, drawing more than 1,000 spectators to the heart of southwestern Manitoba's biggest city, which has a population of 54,000.

Cruise nights offer a double hit of nostalgia — people relive the rides of their youth while reminiscing about how vibrant downtown used to be, Burba said.

"Downtown was a bustling place … it used to be the place that everyone went to there was so much stuff happening," Burba said.

"It's sad how downtown has deteriorated over the years."

Emmy Sanderson, Brandon Downtown BIZ executive director, says cruise night provides a blueprint for events that could draw people downtown and revitalize the area with increased foot traffic.

"This is the biggest draw in our downtown right now," Sanderson said. 

"The downtown cruise night is really important, because it's been a longstanding event that has maintained through good times and bad.… They are like our steady rock of downtown events."

The Brandon Downtown BIZ would like to have events like cruise night every weekend in the summer, Sanderson said.

Such events draw people who don't typically visit the core, helping show people that downtown, with nearly 400 businesses, has a lot to offer, while destigmatizing the idea it's an unsafe place, she said.

"When no one else was here, cruise night was still here, so we are looking at them as our pillar of what can be accomplished and replicating it in other events," Sanderson said.

"What cruise night has done is prove that it's possible. We're not reinventing the wheel. We are doing something that is already happening."

Brandon and Area Car Enthusiasts have been hosting the downtown cruise for many years because they are driven to help keep some energy and spirit alive downtown, Burba said.