09/04/2026
I’ve been into cars for as long as I can remember. Long before I knew what a carburetor was, I was playing with toy cars.
Over the years, I’ve been to just about every kind of car event imaginable, both through my work with the Zehr Vintage CARS and simply because I’m a car guy.
That’s where East Meets West came from.
My good friend Tom Pokorny and I wanted to create something different. Not another supercar gathering or a contest over who had the most expensive car. We wanted oddballs, interesting cars and cars with stories.
This year tested us. After being smoked and rained out in July, our August rain date brought even more rain.
And somehow, people still came.
They travelled from near and far to Masaryktown in Toronto’s east end and refused to let the weather ruin the day.
We had the Smog Father competition, human-powered races, trivia under the tent and our ridiculously oversized trophies. But the best part was watching people talk about their cars, share stories and discover something new.
That’s what circlebacksocial and East Meets West is about: creating a place where you don’t need to own a six-figure car to belong.
A huge thank-you to everyone who came out, especially the Canadian Volvo Club members who went above and beyond to support us. And thanks to Larry Strung for making the trip from Wallaceburg to photograph the day.
Sometimes the worst weather makes for the best memories. Already looking forward to next year.
