he 2026 Dunnville Mudcat Festival was an amazing experience. The town genuinely retains the look and feel of a family-centred small town, which was emphasized by the '70's theme that was happily adopted by many tie-dyed attendees. Running June 11–14, the festival brought together community groups, local businesses, and visitors for a mix of food, music, games, and classic festival fun. Saturday, June 13th, was the day that the big crowd events took place, and everything came together.
The weather was perfect: not a cloud in the sky, temperature in the mid 20's, a light breeze...
The main events: the Back to the '70's Parade was end-to-end full of spectators, including kids who got tons of goodies thrown to them from floats and from other participants. There was lots of Flower Power in the parade, but the power being contained by Jordan Szoke (representing AIM Insurance) from his Kawasaki ZX1000 was hinted at as he rode in the parade to the delight of kids and race fans alike. (Jordan signed posters at the AIM booth after the parade. He is currently Second in the CSBK standings; come out to see him race in Grand Bend on July 15th.)
The other huge event: the Cruisin' Back to the '70's Car Show. Cars from different eras (many from the '70's), of different styles, all carefully maintained in pristine condition by their owners. Not just car enthusiasts get carried away by nostalgia in the presence of these vehicles; the memories of the times some of these cars bring back are worth the trip to the Festival for various ages of festival goers. And to underline the nostalgia, bands were playing '70's era music live in the car show area, further opening the floodgates of memories for the older attendees. The younger folk, meanwhile, are building memories with their families and friends as the cycle continues.
The AIM Insurance tent was set up on the edge of the car show, where most of the day was spent meeting and greeting friends and neighbours (many of whom are AIM clients). You are invited to drop by the tent for a chat and a cool giveaway item next year, or even just to stand under the tent for some shade when you need a few minutes break from the sun.
