I took my ’91 Corvette ZR1 to a very nice car show on Saturday, September 20, 2025 called the 20th Annual Arnold Classic Car Show. It took place on the shores of beautiful White Pines Lake. The location was further enhanced by tall redwood and pine trees that provided ample shade.
The 100-or-so cars ran the gamut, antiques, 50s classics, lead sleds, low riders, Jeeps, trucks, hot rods, pro streets, and muscle cars, lots and lots of muscle cars.
I arrived a little late at almost 9:00 am, but as luck would have it there was one open space left and it was right in front of the band stand. That’s right, there was going to be a live band! Now, that’s my kind of car show. Of course, the cars are always the stars of the show at these things, but the people are a huge part of it. Both the car owners and the spectators,
although I have a particular fondness for classic car owners, especially the ones who work on their own cars.
The three food vendors there had it covered, with hot dogs, BBQ and burgers. There was even a full bar! Again, my kind of car show.
After a perfect morning of looking at cars and talking to friendly folks, then enjoying some fine barbecue, the band opened up with a wicked rendition of ‘Take Me to the River’ that morphed into few bars of ‘Victim of Love’ then back again. I was hooked. I opened by folding chair, had my drink and thoroughly enjoyed the show. And my car was parked right there so it was perfect.
Jill and the Giants are a local band (Arnold and Avery) with a female lead singer who really belts out the tunes. And she’s an awesome guitarist in her own right. They played a wide variety of classic rock tunes all with their own unique flavor, and they were tasty. With breaks they played for almost three hours and I enjoyed every minute of it.
A total of 13 trophies were given out in a mix of categories. 102 registered entries showed up, so that’s a pretty good ratio. If you want to up your odds of getting a trophy, enter your car in small, local shows.
The Arnold Classic Car Show started in 2005 when car enthusiast Don Shinn proposed a car show to the local town council. For the first several years it was held at another location but in around 2015 the show was moved to White Pines Lake.
White Pines Lake is on private property, owned by the local Water District, so it receives no support from the County, the City or the Water District. So, the local town folk formed the White Pines Park Committee, and it is supported entirely through private donations, volunteers and events like this one.
I was very impressed with the spunk of the local community to pick up the ball and run with it. The lake is beautiful, but had fallen into disrepair and neglect. Today it’s clean, well-run and lovingly manicured. I was quite impressed with the spotless condition of the park and its facilities.
Alas my car didn’t win anything, but I had an excellent time, meeting wonderful people, having a fantastic meal and rocking out to one of the best bands I’ve heard in a while. So, a day well spent, I’d say. But, that wasn’t all. I got to drive that awesome 1991 Corvette ZR1 home on those curvy Gold Country roads. What a drive!
Sign Up Here
Subscribe to get our free weekly email reminders of the upcoming Car Shows, Swap Meets, Motorcycle Events and Races all over Northern California.