‘We’ve been trying to make this a safe event, and it’s just seems that some few people are there just to cause trouble,’ says Hot August Nights organizerPublished Aug 10, 20255 minute readTire marks from a vehicle burnout that occurred at the end of a Hot August Nights event on Friday night in Sydney. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentHot August Nights was forced to cancel its second night of this year’s classic car showcase due to what has been described as “incidents of inappropriate behaviour from some attendees.”THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“It is with great regret that we must announce the cancellation of this year’s Hot August Nights event (for) Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025,” Cathy Sutherland, wish co-ordinator (Atlantic Canada) at Make-A-Wish Canada, posted on the event’s social media page on Saturday.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“Unfortunately, there have been incidents of inappropriate behaviour from some attendees that have raised concerns for the safety and well-being of all participants. We believe it is in the best interest of everyone involved to cancel the event in order to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all.Article content“We are also disappointed that we will not be able to raise funds for Make-a-Wish, a cause that is near and dear to our hearts. However, the safety and well-being of our attendees must always come first.Article contentWe apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding in this matter. We hope to host future events that uphold our standards of safety and respect for all attendees.”Article content Gary Chiasson, organizer of Hot August Nights: “We’ve been trying to make this a safe event, and it’s just seems that some few people are there just to cause trouble.” Photo by CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentEvent organizer Gary Chiasson, who learned about the incident via a phone call from a friend on Saturday, said he was flabbergastered to learn the second night of the annual event would be cancelled.Article contentArticle content“This (incident) happened down on George Street, down by (Master Muffler),” Chiasson said. “It wasn’t the Hot August Nights participants involved. We all were in our own box, which was an agreed-upon thing between the police chief and us. So we didn’t do anything wrong.Article content“But they still cancelled the show on us.”Article content‘CAN’T CONTROL CROWDS’Article contentChiasson said before he left Friday night’s well-attended proceedings, which ran between 6 and 10 p.m., “I did see a number of cop cars down that way, but we’re getting ready to leave. But I found out 11:30 Saturday morning, when (a friend) called me up and he was told by the chief of police that they cancelled because they can’t control the crowds.Article content“What I heard was some people were doing burnouts, and you can see that on the road. So the cops went down and they couldn’t stop them. Basically, people were attacking and holding off the police on that incident.Article content“We’ve been trying to make this a safe event, and it’s just seems that some few people are there just to cause trouble.”Article content A burnout mark that had been left by an unidentified vehicle during the 2022 edition of Hot August Nights along George Street in Sydney. Photo by CAPE BRETON POST FILEArticle contentThe burnout marks made along George Street, between Pitt Street and Forbes Court, during this year’s event were in the same location where, back in 2022, burnouts and chaotic activity from that year’s showcase cast a pall on whether Chiasson would get a chance to host future events.Article content“It’s getting to the point that we’re worried that things are going to happen and somebody’s going to get hurt,” Chiasson, who has been organizing Hot August Nights gatherings since 2010, said at the time. “It was way past something that was acceptable.”Article contentThe classic car showcase normally would take place the second August weekend, and would draw thousands of onlookers to view an array of auto aficionados’ antique cars and trucks, as well as custom and modern-day vehicles.Article contentArticle contentHowever, the 2022 incidents led to Chiasson having discussions with the Cape Breton Regional Police on how to safely continue operating Hot August Nights — including a scaled-down viewing area and barricaded sections on George Street between Prince and Townsend streets. Those rules applied for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 showcases.Article contentA GOOD CAUSED SPOILEDArticle content“I considered this year’s event as within the barricades,” said Jeff MacCormack, a Sydney resident and longtime car enthusiast who regularly attends Hot August Nights each year. “That was perfectly fine and quiet. No one inside (those barricades) caused any trouble.Article content“It was just some group standing near Philthy Philly’s that were the ones causing all the trouble. All the burnouts didn’t start untill after Friday night’s show. It’s really a shame that such a good event, with a good cause, gets spoiled like that.”Article contentArticle contentOne of MacCormack’s friends who is a police officer, MacCormack said, told him the crowd “were climbing on top of a police vehicle and blocking them and hitting them; it was crazy.Article content John McIntyre of New Waterford stands next to his 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe, which he owned for 31 years, safely parked along George Street near Wentworth Street in Sydney on Saturday night. Despite a formal cancellation of Saturday night’s showing of Hot August Nights, many car enthusiasts didn’t let that stop them from bringing out their classic and antique vehicles on that second night. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle content“The next day, a bunch of use were attending a car show at Centre 200. And they announced the Saturday night event was being cancelled. I just saw all those long-time car enthusiasts extremely upset.”Article contentWhile the second-night showing was officially nixed, many car enthusiasts didn’t let that stop them from bringing out their classic and antique vehicles and either drove or parked safely along George Street within the area normally considered the Hot August Nights zone, and chatted with fellow car enthusiasts.Article content“I still went out that night, but it was not the same. There was just too much traffic,” MacCormack said.Article contentBIGGEST LETDOWNArticle contentThe biggest letdown for this year’s event, as Sutherland’s post indicated, was that they were unable “to raise funds for Make-a-Wish, a cause that is near and dear to our hearts. However, the safety and well-being of our attendees must always come first.”Article contentMore frustrating for Chiasson? The seeming lack of greater police presence for this year’s event, but moreso outside the confines of the agreed-upon Hot August Nights space, he said.Article content“We did what they asked us to do, and we were told (the police would) take care of everything outside that box,” he said. “Yeah, well that didn’t happen. So, some poor wish child is going suffer because of those actions.”Article contentLast year, Hot August Nights raised just over $10,000 for the foundation. But despite the lack of funds raised for the 2025 event, local businesses such as Fuzzy’s Fries and New Waterford’s Electric Candy have offered to help with donor support.Article content“That’s just awesome,” Chiasson said. “So if we can still somehow squeak a wish out of it all, that would be great.”Article contentAsked how Friday night’s incident would affect future Hot August Nights events, Chiasson said it’s too early to say.Article contentArticle content Classic and antique vehicle enthusiasts safely gather on Saturday night in a parking lot in Sydney — this despite a formal cancellation of the second night of Hot August Nights in Sydney. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentPOLICE INVESTIGATION UNDERWAYArticle contentMeanwhile, regional police said in a news release issued Saturday that they are investigating Friday night’s incident, which some posted videos show as an alleged including a motor vehicle-pedestrian collision.Article content“At approximately 10:15 p.m., Friday night, traffic safety officers were reopening George Street to traffic, when several vehicles began to rev engines, spin tires and accelerate at high speeds where several hundred people were gathered,” the release said.Article content“While attempting to block the crowd from one driver, a police vehicle was surrounded by a large crowd of people, preventing the officer’s movement. Additional officers responded and police closed George and Pitt streets to traffic while they cleared the crowd from the area.Article content Cape Breton Regional Police are currently investigating an incidence of unruly behaviour that occurred at the end of the first night of Hot August Nights in Sydney. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle content“At approximately 10:45 p.m., police were called to the Dooly’s parking lot on Pitt Street, where a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle that left the scene. The victim was transported to hospital by EHS for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Police later located and seized the vehicle believed to have been involved in the collision.Article content“With assistance from witnesses, police continue to investigate the collision and all incidents of dangerous driving behaviours.”Article contentPolice are asking anyone with information about the persons or vehicles involved to contact the regional police’s non-emergency dispatch line at 902-563-5151, or anonymously through Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at crimestoppers.ns.ca.Article content
‘Inappropriate behaviour’ at Cape Breton classic car showcase forces second-night cancellation
