Car Show Announcements & Reviews Archives - Page 3 of 38

NorCal Car Shows, Swap Meets & Races November 28 – December 4

Hi,

We had another rare weekend without attending a Car Show. I need to be taking advantage of this time to be filling up our 2023 calendar, although sometimes it’s nice to relax a little. I think all year long that I wished was way ahead listing car shows but maybe I just like working under pressure? I do appreciate everyone that has been sending me information on their 2023 events.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Now, Christmas will be here before we know it. If you are looking for something cool for your favorite Car Guy or Gal, please visit our Hot Rod Bookstore at 7975 Auburn Boulevard in Citrus Heights.

Every week we have some really cool cars come to visit us at our Classic Reg Service/Hot Rod Bookstore. Here are a few of my favorites from the last few weeks.

Like I say every week, I am sure thankful to all of you that paid for your $25 yearly subscription this past week and year!Our Weekly Giveaway Drawings are “for paid subscribers only” and take place every Wednesday evening. Please CLICK HERE to pay for you subscription, you could be the next winner!

If you would like to pay by check, please make it payable to NorCal Car Culture and mail it to: 7975 Auburn Blvd. Citrus Heights, CA 95610 or you are always welcome to visit us at our store and pay in person.

Last week’s giveaway winner was Cliff Madariaga from Sacramento, CA. He won a couple of cool Metal Signs from Steve Reedy at Reedyville Goods at 3302 Swetzer Road in Loomis, CA. All his signs are cut and made right there at their store by a very talented group of people.

***We are busy working hard on our new American Car Culture Association, hopefully we will launch it before the end of the year. Our goal is to preserve and promote Car Culture through our Websites and Newsletters as well as with awards, scholarships and historical displays. We will offer different membership levels including a subscription and an American Car Culture t-shirt or other Car Culture Gear. We are working on additional benefits of membership including discounts or coupons from your favorite vendors. Please let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions.***

Here is a preview of our 2023 American Car Culture t-shirt.

This week’s Car Shows and Toy Drives:

December 1 – Gilroy: The Fortino Winery Car Show is the first Thursday from 5pm to 7:30pm at Fortino Winery, 4525 Hecker Pass Highway.

December 3 – Folsom: The Christmas is for Kids Toy Run is Saturday from 9am to 2pm at That Dam Place Restaurant, 1013 Riley Street.

December 3 – Glen Ellen: The Devils Darlin’s Toys For Tots Cruise is Saturday at 10am at the Sonoma Development Center, 15000 Arnold Drive.

December 3 – Half Moon Bay: The Beyond City Limits Toy Drive is Saturday from 7:30am to 9:30am at Pillar Point Harbor, 1 Johnson Pier.

December 3 – Lincoln: Rockstar Rides is the first Saturday of the month from 2pm to 4pm at the Rockstar Music Academy, 801 Sterling Parkway.

December 3 – Modesto: The Valley C10 Club 1st Annual Toy Drive is Saturday from 11am to 2:30pm at Pep Boys, 1340 McHenry Avenue.

December 3 – Sacramento: The 16th Annual Rally4Kids Toy Drive is Sunday from 8am to 12pm at Shriners Hospital, 2425 Stockton Boulevard.

December 3 – Santa Rosa: The Laf-A-Lots Holiday Toy Drive is Saturday from 9am to 4pm at Machado Burgers, 406 Larkfield Center.

December 4 – West Sacramento: The Devotion Car Club’s Holiday Toy Drive & Cruise is Sunday at 8am at Raley Field, 400 Ballpark Drive.

December 4 – Yuba City: The 3rd Annual LowLifes Car Club Toy Drive is Sunday from 10am to 3pm at the K-Mart Parking Lot, 850 Gray Avenue.

Swap Meets:

December 3 – Marysville: The Racer’s Swap Meet is Saturday at 8am at Marysville Raceway, 1468 Simpson Lane.

December 4 – Pomona: The Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show is Sunday from 5am to 2pm at the Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Avenue.

**We are already working on our 2023 Calendar. If you are aware of any 2023 event dates, please email any information to me at tnewey@norcalcarculture.com or enter them here: Add Events.
You can see a complete list of upcoming events including Cars and Coffees and Cruise-Ins at NorCalCarCulture.com.

Our Classic Reg Service is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm at 7975 Auburn Blvd in Citrus Heights and we are happy to help if we can. We can answer a lot of questions over the phone so, please give me or my wife Marleen a call at 916-560-9506.

This week’s giveaway is for $100 Visa Gift Card courtesy of my brother Rich Newey at Route 40 Classics. He always has a cool selection of classic cars for sale. Please stop by and see his cool showroom at 6008 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights or give him a call at 916-750-4321.

A while back we started a Facebook Group to share our cars and automotive items for sale called Car Culture Classifieds, please check it out if you are on Facebook. Also please check out our Free Classified Ads!

Please follow our Instagram and Facebook accounts!

Have fun and be safe! Tim

To See all the Upcoming Events in Northern California (Bakersfield to the Oregon Border) for the coming week, please click here: NorCalCarCulture.com

Featured Upcoming Events

***If you are looking for more exposure for your upcoming event, consider a spot in our “Featured Upcoming Event” section. Thousands of people will get to see your poster or flyer each week leading up to your show. Just contact me for more details if you are interested.***

If would like to add a show or event to our calendar please visit our “Add Events” page.

Please Support our Sponsors and let them know you saw their ad here on NorCal Car Culture!

Welcome to Di Stasio Vineyards in Plymouth, CA! For information call (209) 256-1524.

The Corvette and Camaro Invasion

Scott Maxwell has been a Corvette enthusiast for over half of his life. He has owned a lot of Corvettes and Camaros in his 55 years.

In his words: “I have attended a lot of Car Shows and I have seen many things that I felt I could improve on. So, I decided to put my money where my mouth was and put on my own car show just before Covid hit and it was a success.”

Late last year, a friend approach Scott about doing a Car Show in Reno and after talking to him they decided that they should go ahead and move forward with it.

They began talking and meeting with multiple Hotels in Reno trying to get the amount of parking spaces needed and the number of rooms needed to put on such a large show. They ended up picking The Grand Sierra Resort to be the location and the planning started.

They wanted it to be during a time that Corvette and Camaro owners would want to take the cars out, so they picked August. One reason for August is that Hot August Nights is a popular time for Cars in Reno, but the newer cars are not allowed to enter the show.

They wanted to have a show that people could be part of if they had a newer Corvette or Camaro, but also be open to all years. They knew with Reno in August that it is very Hot, so they wanted to do an indoor show. Having a temperature-controlled environment would make it much more fun for the owners as well as the spectators.

They decided to allow attendees to come on Thursday and check in with their own VIP Check in Line for the Hotel and then go to the show registration area and get their Goodie Bag and the times for the Poker Run on Friday.

On Friday, the drivers will make their way thru the stops to get their 5 cards for their hand and the last stop will be back at Grand Sierra. The Top 3 Hands will be winning a total of $ 600.00

After the Poker Run the car owners will be able to bring their cars into the ballroom and get them parked and cleaned up for the show on Saturday and have the opportunity to grab something to eat and drink while being able to talk to their friends and fellow Car Show participants, and also have the opportunity to go gamble or eat dinner etc. or they can come back in the morning and get their cars ready.

The Corvettes and the Camaros will be judged separately and will have separate Awards and Prizes except for the Best of Show Trophy.

We have some big-name sponsors joining and advertising and donating some awesome prizes, so you don’t want to miss out!

The Corvette and Camaro Invasion of Reno Nevada brought to you by The Corvette Channel and Maita Motorsports and Chevrolet Performance promises to be one of the Best Shows on the West Coast.

Here is a link to their website: https://corvettechannel.com/event/the-corvette-camaro-invasion-of-reno-nevada/

A Short History of the Sacramento Autorama – Part 1

I am very excited to attend this year’s Sacramento Autorama. I hope a lot you can come by and see me at my booth in Building A. I will be next to my friend Art Wong from Maita Motorsports.

As a lifelong Sacramento resident, I thought it would be fun, as this year’s show approaches, to learn a little about the history of the Sacramento Autorama. My Dad took me to my first Autorama when I was a teenager in the 70’s and I have attended most for the last 25 or 30 years. I remember being impressed with the mirrors on the floor so you could see the under side of some of these custom cars. They were and are works of art! If you have any stories or memories that you would like to share please contact me at tnewey@norcalcarculture.com.

Here is a poster of the first auto show courtesy of Ed Gardner:

The first Sacramento Autorama was called the Capitol Auto Club’s First Annual Auto Show. It was held on November 4th and 5th, 1950 at the Capitol Chevrolet dealership on the corner of 13th and K Street in Downtown Sacramento. It wasn’t called the Autorama until 1953. Harold “Baggy” Bagdasarian, President of the Capitol Auto Club, the “Thunderbolts”, had an idea to hold a little car show to win bragging rights for the quality of the custom cars in their Car Club. The first winner of the Best Custom Car trophy was Leroy Semas and his 1937 Chevy Coupe. The winner of the Best Rod trophy was Burton Davis and his 31 Ford Roadster.

Here is the winner of the Best Custom Car trophy, a 1937 Chevy Coupe that belonged to Leroy Semas and was restyled by Harry Westergard. There is a great article on this car at CustomChronicle.com. The second show was moved to the Newton A. Cope Buick dealership at 15th and K Streets. It wasn’t held until April 19th and 20th of 1952. The program featured a picture of Bud Crackbon’s Roadster which was judged “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster at the Oakland Auto Show earlier in 1952. Here is the program cover of the second “Autorama”. The Best Custom trophy that year went to Joe Bailon and his beautiful 1941 Chevy.

By 1953, the members of the Capitol Auto Club were hesitant to continue the promotion of the Auto Show so Baggy decided to find a new location and go for it. He eventually settled on the Memorial Auditorium and renamed the show the Sacramento Autorama. Attendance was growing every year and after 2 years at the Auditorium, Baggy rented the Old Fairgrounds on Stockton Blvd. That was in 1955 and it kept growing every year until in 1970 when the Autorama was moved to it’s present location at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds.

Here is an article from the January 1951 issue of Hot Rod Magazine on the first Autorama:

In the late 1980’s Baggy was joined by Don Tognotti as a promoter of the Sacramento Autorama. Dan Cyr purchased and promoted it in the early 2000’s. Then in 2005, John Buck and Rod Shows Inc. took over promotion of one of the longest running indoor Car Shows in the country, the Kustom Capital of the World. John has done an excellent job of growing and expanding the event while at the same time honoring and preserving the 72 years of history of the Sacramento Autorama.

There are several very prestigious awards given out each year including the Custom D’Elegance and the Big “B” Awards. The Custom D’Elegance award traces it’s roots to the Car of Elegance award first presented in 1953 to the legendary Joe Bailon.

The 2014 Custom D’Elegance Award winner was James Hetfield and his beautiful coachbuilt 1948 Jaguar named “Black Pearl.”! The first of the Big “B” Awards is the H.A. Bagdasarian Memorial Award, the World’s Most Beautiful Custom. It was started in 1991 to honor founder Baggy Bagdasarian and is still chosen by the family.

The 2020 winner of the World’s Most Beautiful Custom, H.A. Bagdasarian Memorial Award was Bob Dron and his stunning 1948 Chevy Fleetline.Next is the Sam Barris Memorial Award was started in 1968 after his passing and is also chosen by members of the Barris family. It is an award for body and paint work on an all metal bodied car.

The Candy Apple Joe Bailon Memorial Award was started by Joe Bailon himself in 1992 and goes to the best Candy paint job.

In 2020, the “Candy Apple” Joe Bailon Trophy went to Calvin Fisk and his wild 1953 Ford F-100!The Dick Bertolucci Automotive Excellance Award honors excellence in craftsmanship. in 2000, the Bertolucci award took over what was originally the Harry Bradley Design Achievement Award.

In 2017, the winner of the Dick Bertolucci Automotive Excellence Award was Michael McAuliffe and his 1940 Ford Sedan called ‘The Second Time Around’.

A list of all the past award winners can be found on the new Autorama Website Here. Check out Part 2 next week with lots of photos and memories of some legends of the Sacramento Autorama!