This year when thousands of people crowd throughout downtown Wallaceburg for the 38th edition of the Wallaceburg Antique Motor Boat Outing (WAMBO), they will have a soundtrack to carry along with them.
The Wambo Song, inspired by former Wallaceburg resident Graham Wood and recorded by a group of local musicians, has been adopted as the official anthem of the Aug. 7-9 event. It has already had more than 12,000 views on Facebook.
“Graham is in Winnipeg and sent the lyrics to his brother and then it came to me,” said Wambo Chair Bill Wolsing. “I’ve been in bands for years and I knew exactly who I was going to call. We have Ed Brennan on vocals and the boys from Town Crier and a couple of guys from the Couch Daddies. I pulled out my old Rolodex. It was a real-life example of getting the band back together. It’s all genuine Wallaceburg homies that recorded it. We had a blast. We’ll be playing it on Saturday.”
Wolsing said the local feel is what makes WAMBO so popular each year.
“We’re a boat show, a car show, a motorcycle show and a mini-music festival rolled into three days. It’s all free and will always be that way,” he said.
The event occupies both sides of the Sydenham River from Branch 18 of the Royal Canadian Legion to Civic Square Park.
A special guest this year is Malcolm Bricklin, inventor of the iconic gull-wing sportscar that bears his name. Bricklin will be present throughout the car show much of Saturday.
“He’s 87 and he’s an absolutely fascinating guy,” Wolsing said.
Wolsing has been involved in WAMBO for more than 20 years.
“Chip Gordon (a WAMBO founder) got me involved. He asked if I could give him a hand and I thought maybe he needed help lifting something. I turned around and he handed me a bunch of binders and said congratulations you are the new vendors manager. I’ve done just about everything at one time or another,” Wolsing said.
The event needs about 100 volunteers each year, but gets strong support from groups from the community including dragon boat teams and minor sports groups.
Wolsing also lauded the events sponsors.
“We couldn’t do it without the support of the businesses and groups that sponsor us. One of our strengths is that we always have input from the community,” he said. “If someone comes to us with a good idea, we say, ‘Give it a go.’ We’ve had duct-tape boat races, lawn tractor events and other things throughout the years. A few years ago, we started a shuttle to take people around the downtown and it’s been a great addition.”
Boats begin arriving in Wallaceburg the Friday of the event and the Knights of Columbus Dinner begins at 4:30 p.m.
The Terry Glover Memorial Car Cruise begins at 7.
Car displays start taking shape early Saturday. There is music throughout the day and evening Saturday and a large refreshment tent Friday night and Saturday. The event wraps up with an interdenominational faith service Sunday morning at 10.
For a full list of events, visit WAMBO.CA
