Mission Statement
The Highway 43 Car Club is a non-profit, volunteer based organization that:
- Promotes and preserves the automotive hobby within the regions along County Road 43 and beyond
- Builds and maintains relationships amongst all our members by means of communication and participation at Club Functions.
- Works with local businesses in our community to run our Club Functions.
- Spreads awareness of the Club through a weekly Cruise Night, as well as various one-time shows throughout the season.
- Actively promotes and supports local charities.
- Raises funds by means of draws, raffles, entry-fees, and donations to support club expenses.
The Idea and The Name
The Highway 43 Car Club started as a mere idea for our President, Rod Rafter.
He saw the need for a club that connects all of the small towns along the infamous Highway 43; towns such as Winchester, Chesterville, Kemptville, Merrickville, and well beyond.
Picking a name was simple, the Highway 43 Car Club was a catchy, unique name that was truly a great representation of our membership.
The Club Itself
The Highway 43 Car Club was formed over the winter of 2007/2008.
With the help of new and old friends, the club's identity came to life.
The first order of business was to get a Website up and running that would be the life-line of the club.
Then in 2010, the Car Club started it`s Facebook Page.
The Website and the Facebook page would be what connects all of our members, from one end of Highway 43 to the other and also everything to the North and South.
On top of that, the club resumed it's dedication of running a weekly Cruise Night in Kemptville, which has continued to grow in leaps and bounds and in 2025 we celebrated the 20th. Anniversary of the Kemptville Cruise Night at the Food Basics.
The 2026 Season and beyond looks very promising as the Highway 43 Car Club continues to grow and that means that we can continue to grow our support for the local charities that are near and dear to the Highway 43 Car Club.
Did you know? Since the beginning of the Car Club over the winter of 2007/2008, we have had an amazing 550+ registered members along with their classic, muscle and historic vehicles!
Our Club Moto since our inception says it all. "It`s all about the People"
Membership
As the Club continues to grow, so has the membership.
At the end of 2009, the Highway 43 Car Club had over 80 active members, by 2016 there was 380 active members and by the end of 2025, there was over 550 registered members.
Our Facebook page continues to grow with over 3,500 members!
Many of these members volunteer their time to help run our Shows, Cruise Nights and Retirement Home Cruise-In events.
Becoming a member of the Highway 43 Car Club is easy, all you need to do is fill out a membership form (found here, or at any of our Shows/Cruise Nights) and return it to us.
There are no fees involved, we just ask you to support the club as much as you can by means of showing up to our events!
Community Support
A big part of the Highway 43 Car Club's goals is to actively support charities and organizations within our community.
Since 2008, the Club has supported groups such as the Children's Wish Foundation (Ottawa Chapter), the Kemptville Youth Center, the Winchester Dairyfest Community, the Merrickville Youth Group, Kanata Food Cupboard, Kemptville Salvation Army Food Bank, Community Food Share ( Winchester Food Bank ) and the House of Lazarus Food Bank in Mountain, Ont.
In 2026, with your support in our fund raising efforts, the Club will continue to support the Kemptville Salvation Army Food Bank, the Community Food Share Winchester and the House of Lazarus Food Bank in Mountain, Ont.
Follow the Highway 43 Car Club on Facebook
