On Saturday, Culver City’s annual classic car and hot rod show – Cruisin’ Back to the Fifties – rolls back into Downtown for its seventh edition.
Co-sponsored each year by car customizer extraordinaire George Barris and the Exchange Club of Culver City, the show will exhibit 70 years of American roadsters, street rods and muscle cars. Mr. Barris is the creator of some of Hollywood’s most legendary cars, from the Batmobile to the Munster’s Koach and Beverly Hillbillies jalopy.
The car show starts at 8:30 a.m. with its signature “Caravan of the Classics Cruisers,” led by this year’s Grand Marshal, television and film star Joe Montegna.
A Tony Award-winning actor and longtime classic cars enthusiast, Mr. Montegna currently stars as Special David Rossi on television’s “Criminal Minds.” The Chicago-born Montegna has attended and displayed his own classic auto at prior Culver car shows. This is his first year as Grand Marshal.
Mr. Montegna will be joined on the main show stage by the high octane rockabilly stylings of the Hot Rod Trio along with old school rockers the Dynatones. Popular Culver High rockers Stereo Union, who also performed at last summer’s Festival La Ballona, will fill out the bill on the live music stage. Adding to the rock flavor of the event, radio station K-Earth FM 101.1 will broadcast live from the show.
Last year’s show featured nearly 500 classic cars and hot rods from all over Southern California. “With the kind of enthusiasm we’ve seen and the response we’re getting from all over the area, we expect this show to be bigger than ever,” said the Exchange Club’s Dr. Jay Sherry, Cruisin’s co-Chairman.
“With the added exhibit area the city is letting us use, along Washington Boulevard adjacent to the Culver Hotel, there should be plenty of space to accommodate many of the late entries we had to turn away last year,” said Dr. Sherry, a Culver City chiropractor. As it does each year, Culver City will close its Downtown streets to host this family friendly event. To welcome the thousands expected to flow into the business district, Culver City’s many restaurants and cafés will provide additional outdoor seating so that diners don’t miss a minute of the festivities. Some eateries may even serve curbside specials in keeping with the show’s ‘50s theme. Although it is not an official show sponsor, the Fire Dept. will throw open the doors for the annual firefighters’ pancake breakfast in concert with Fire Service Recognition Day. While firefighters are flipping flapjacks and grilling sausage, the public will get a rare opportunity to see the inner workings of Culver City’s main firehouse.
Along with the hundreds of four-wheel classics representing every American decade from the 1920s through the newest generation of muscle cars, the show organizers expect an even larger contingent of custom two-wheelers than in years past.
“Since Brando’s “Wild One,” motorcycles have been as iconic in our culture as the American muscle car,” said new City Councilman Jeff Cooper, the show’s co-producer. “We’d missing a huge slice of history if we didn’t include the.,”
In addition to being one of the largest classic car shows of the year with dozens of themed vendors, Cruisin’ Back to the Fifties is also a judged competition. Trophies will be presented in several categories, from Best El Camino and Coolest Convertible to Best Kustom Bike and everyone’s favorite, the Big Daddy Award.
Vehicle entry applications for car exhibitors are available on line at http://www.culvercitycarshow.com/. Online registrations are open until Friday at 12 noon. Exhibitor applications will be accepted on the day of the show before 8 a.m. at the National Guard Armory, 10808 Culver Blvd.
Show entries are limited.
According to Dr. Sherry, Exchange Club volunteers give hundreds of hours to organize this event. As a charity that puts on the Fourth of July Fireworks Show and co-sponsors the yearly Children’s Disability Carnival, the Exchange Club raises thousands of dollars to support local youth and to prevent child abuse.
“The car show is a great chance for us to have a little fun and let everyone in Southern California to see the best Culver City has to offer,” said Dr. Sherry.
Other co-sponsors along with the Exchange Club are Mattel, Trader Joe’s, Meguiar’s, Galpin Motors, K-Earth FM 101.1, Hands Services, Inc. and the city of Culver City. Plenty of public parking is available at city-operated lots on Watseka, Cardiff and Ince. No public parking for the car show will be permitted in the adjacent residential neighborhoods. For information about the show, call 310.499.4840.
