Thousands of people filled downtown Chatham this weekend to mark RetroFest's in-person return.
Historic Downtown Chatham BIA Co-Chair Nancy Dudley says approximately 600 classic cars rolled into the region for the popular downtown event.
"Mother Nature blessed us with great weather," said Dudley. "We were so excited to have people out and about in the downtown once again and have thousands of people be excited about things being somewhat normal."
A classic car cruise kicked off the festivities Friday afternoon but was cut short after a fatal four-vehicle collision on Queen's Line.
During Saturday’s festivities, hundreds of cars were on display at the Kent Historic Auto Club Classic Car Show, drawing large crowds to the downtown core. Throughout the day, local bands played at Tecumseh Park, and there were also kid-friendly activities such as a 22-foot slide, a crawl park, an inflatable obstacle course, a jumping area, and a pool with kiddie paddle boats and water balls.
"Returning to an in-person event was fantastic," said Dudley. "If it wasn't for our sponsors and volunteers this never would have been able to happen."
Saturday also marked the return of Miss RetroFest to the stage in Chatham’s Tecumseh Park.
Vanessa Young-Tome won the Miss RetroFest 2022 title.
"We're very blessed to have the volunteers that continue to support us and show up every year," said Dudley. "Because of them, we were able to have such a successful event that drew thousands into the downtown area."