Planned unsanctioned car meet a no-show amid heavy police presence in Grand Bend [Video]

A large, unsanctioned meetup of modified cars planned for Grand Bend, Ont., failed to materialize this weekend, something the town’s mayor attributes to the heavy police presence that amassed to deter the illegal event.

Upwards of 300 vehicles were expected to arrive in the Lake Huron town on Friday and Saturday, prompting concerns from local officials about safety and potential rowdy behaviour.

Several police cruisers and an Ontario Provincial Police mobile command unit vehicle set up in the parking lot of the town’s Sobeys store over the weekend, where the rally was set to take shape, Doug Cook, the mayor of Lambton Shores, said.

Ultimately, few rally-goers showed up, he said. Lambton Shores is the municipality that includes Grand Bend, Port Franks, and Pinery Provincial Park.

“I was in Grand Bend all weekend and didn’t hear much of anything, I didn’t see much of anything, and we weren’t told of …