“We could come in here and harass everyone as hard as we can, but at the end of the day, there are four police officers and over 300 cars here, so we’re trying to keep it as peaceful as possible,” police said of Saturday night’s rally in Park Place.
BARRIE, Ontario – The roar of engines from loud pickup trucks, horns and even the honk of a train could be heard as another unauthorized truck rally took place in the rear parking lot of Park Place in south Barrie last night.
There are almost 300 vehicles parked in rows on the site. Young people sit on the backs of the trucks and mill around in small groups in front of the heavily modified trucks. Some of them are brightly lit by special lighting systems attached to the chassis under the vehicles, so that they glow like Christmas trees.
And there are cars on site too: Austin Clarence, 18, from Orangeville, brought his 2023 Dodge Challenger.
“(It’s) just about people seeing some nice vehicles and just hanging out, quite honestly,” he says BarrieToday in the parking lot, surrounded by some of his friends.
He says social media is the main means of communication in the loose organization of events, which take place on private property, much to the chagrin of the landowner.
“This is a pretty difficult situation, simply because…” He pauses for a few seconds and thinks about the question of trespassing.
“It’s often difficult to get permission, but at the same time, it’s not the best thing to just show up anywhere. We really value people being respectful and behaving, and not everyone follows that, but we try to keep it clean,” he replies.
Police said they were notified of a planned truck meeting late Friday night and handled the matter “in the most peaceful manner possible.”
“Everyone was pretty respectful,” says Det. Const. Don Langdon of the Barrie Police Service’s traffic unit BarrieToday while monitoring what is happening.
“They don’t have permission from the owners to be here. We try our best to make sure everyone enjoys the beautiful vehicles and all the work that goes into the vehicles, and try to resolve any issues before they become problems,” he adds.
Langdon says they will crack down on anyone who performs stunts in the parking lot and will try to crack down on loud vehicle revving and alcohol consumption in the area.
“We stopped practically everyone before they came into the parking lot and we laid down some ground rules – be respectful, enjoy the show, no weed and no alcohol, no burnouts and no stunts – and if someone does stunts in the parking lot, we take away their vehicle for 14 days under the Highway Code and they get charged,” he stresses.
Langdon notes that as a police department they do not tolerate this and says, “It is not licensed or insured. The property owner really does not want this here.”
The police’s strategy so far has been one of restraint.
“We could come in here and pressure everyone as hard as we can, but at the end of the day, there are four police officers and over 300 cars, right? So we try to make it as peaceful as possible. Safety is the number one goal, so everyone has fun, everyone gets home, everyone gets up in the morning, everyone has their car – and that’s the goal,” he says.
The first trucks arrived around 7 p.m. and their number grew steadily throughout the night.
“They usually start to lose steam around midnight and the kicker is that most of these people are not from Barrie,” Langdon says. “90 percent of these people here are not Barrie residents and that’s something we can’t control.”
Blake Langlois, 22, of North Bay, was traveling south to Barrie in his 2018 Chevrolet Colorado.
“I like it. It’s cool. I don’t get to experience anything like that up north because there’s not really a scene like that, so I have to come here for it,” he says. “It’s a bit expensive on the gas bill, but I think it’s worth it to come here for a few hours and drive back.”
Not everyone in attendance was willing to speak to a reporter about the unauthorized event and trespassing on private property.
“No, I don’t want to answer any questions,” says a young man categorically. “It doesn’t matter,” he answers coolly when asked why, and then walks back with his truck, which, like the others, is illuminated from below.
Another young man gets angry when he is asked questions and says the media is putting him in a bad light.
A man nearby chimes in and says, “It’s private but public. It’s an in-between space.”
An 18-year-old man from Oro-Medonte, obviously drunk, slurs his words as he gives advice to the reporter.
“(We’re) just having a good time and getting drunk with the guys,” he stammers.
“People are going crazy out here, it’s all about having fun. You only live once and we’re only young for so long. We might as well have fun while we can. When you get old, you’re going to regret the shit you didn’t do,” the man adds.
At around 11 p.m., as some of the participants tried to leave the Park Place parking lot, a small pickup truck was stopped by the police because three young men were sitting in the open bed of the truck.
Afterwards, you can see an officer scolding the inmates and trying to make them understand the danger of such an action.
The other participants in the rally laugh and honk mockingly at them before they return to their social gathering amidst a cloud of exhaust fumes and engine noise.
