RM announces 40th anniversary celebration

Rob Myers and Mayor Darrin Canniff (Submitted photo)

RM Sotheby’s & RM Auto Restoration, in partnership with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and RetroFest, have announced plans for the celebration of RM’s 40th Anniversary, set for the weekend of June 21-22.

Working with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, company officials say the 40th Anniversary celebration will give back to the community that has fostered the growth of RM over the last four decades and celebrate Chatham-Kent as the Classic Car Capital of Canada.

For 2019, RetroFest, now in its 19th year, will also move to June 21-22 as well, making for the ultimate weekend destination for classic car enthusiasts in Canada, company officials say.

The event will feature enhanced RetroFest programming alongside anniversary events put on by RM Sotheby’s, including special automobile displays and entertainment, featuring a performance by acclaimed Canadian act, Sam Roberts Band, on the evening of Friday, 21 June at Tecumseh Park in downtown Chatham.

Additional activities will be announced in the lead up to the 40th Anniversary weekend.

All proceeds from the weekend’s events will go directly back into the community, supporting several important local organizations, including the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent, Chatham-Kent Hospice, and the Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.

“Our 40th Anniversary celebration is going to be an unforgettable weekend in Chatham-Kent,” stated Rob Myers, Founder, Chairman & CEO of RM Sotheby’s, in a press release.

“The Friday evening parade and RetroFest show on Saturday will be the biggest yet, with incredible floats and celebrity judges, and RM’s collector car show will gather some of the world’s best cars, never before seen in Canada and unlikely to ever be seen again. We’re hoping to bring thousands of automobiles to Chatham-Kent for the weekend – everywhere you look on 21-22 June, you’ll see a classic car. We’d love to welcome all the local, regional, and national car clubs to join us and display cars as well. I look forward to celebrating with friends, collectors, enthusiasts, and the entire community. Let’s make this the best collector car weekend that Canada’s ever seen.”

“RM has been making our community proud for decades,” stated Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff, in a media release.

“Linking RetroFest with RM’s 40th anniversary celebration is an amazing collaboration. Add in the fact that local charities will benefit, and it takes it over the top. RM choosing to celebrate with all of Chatham-Kent is a world-class move by a world-class company.”

“RM has been working with the RetroFest™ team to grow and support the event since its inception,” added Paul Shettell, Chair of the Historic Downtown Chatham-BIA, in a press release.

“This year, we are excited to partner with RM Sotheby’s 40th Anniversary celebration for the best RetroFest yet! The changes for 2019 will be huge and we look forward to seeing everyone on 21-22 June in downtown Chatham.”

The weekend’s timeline of events will include:

Friday

– The annual kick-off RetroFest Cruise, coupled with a special RM 40th Anniversary Parade that is not to be missed;

– A special performance by Sam Roberts Band on Friday night following the parade with proceeds to benefit local charities (tickets available soon, more information to follow).

Saturday

– RM Sotheby’s, alongside the Kent Historic Auto Club, will present the annual Car Show on the streets of downtown Chatham, made even more special with additional displays and activities, as well as special awards and celebrity judges, including Wayne Carini of the Chasing Classic Cars television series;

– A once-in-a-lifetime collector car display behind the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, presented by RM Sotheby’s and featuring some of the rarest and most beautiful cars in the world, with ticket proceeds to benefit the Children’s Treatment Centre;

– An evening of entertainment at the Capitol Theatre, with proceeds to benefit local charities and details to be announced.

Company officials say the RM Sotheby’s team looks forward to celebrating with the Chatham-Kent and collector car community and will announce more details on the weekend’s community activities and entertainment as they become available.

On-sale dates for the Sam Roberts Band performance will also be announced in the coming weeks. Updated event details can be found at rmsothebys.com/40years.

Founded by Rob Myers in 1979, RM was born of Myers’ passion for classic cars, stretching back to his childhood when he was surrounded by his father’s antique automobiles, company officials say.

After years of working on his father’s cars, Myers inaugurated his own single-car garage restoration business, and by 1979, the company was officially incorporated.

Over the decades that followed, Myers and his team built a world-renowned restoration facility, known as RM Auto Restoration, as well as the world’s largest auction house for investment-quality automobiles, RM Sotheby’s, a global operation now partnered with Sotheby’s, the world’s oldest auction house.

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