Route 66 Rendezvous Showcases Hundreds of Classic Cars, Brings Sense of Togetherness in San Bernardino

Upwards of 300 classic cars cruised into San Bernardino’s 66ers Baseball Stadium over the weekend during the 2013 Rendezvous Back to Route 66 event, presented this year by the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce. Classic vehicle owners, restorers, enthusiasts and families came out to browse the selection, which included an array of classic makes and models ranging from variations of the Chevrolet Bel Air to Volkswagen Avenger GTs to an unrestored 1921 Ford Model T. Vendors set up shop and offered food and refreshments and sold merchandise, and 1978’s classic film “Grease” played on the big screen of the baseball field throughout the weekend to top the event off. The two-day event began Friday afternoon, Sept. 20 and ran through Saturday, Sept. 21. It included classic cars, poker runs, auto cross, music, merchandise vendors, food, kids’ activities and cruising. One of the various draws of the weekend’s event was the special appearance by racer John Mihovetz and his 2010 Pro Street Mustang Race car. Sponsors included Fairview Ford, Clark’s Nutrition, Toyota of San Bernardino, the AQMD, Crest Chevrolet, Citizens Business Bank, City News Group, Loma Linda University Health, Bank of America, Cummings Automotive Group and Matich Corporation. Auto Cross event classes included Hot Rod: 1954 and older; Street Machine, 1955 to 1981; New Muscle, 1982 to 2013; and Trucks, all years. Auto Cross trophy categories included the Hot Rod Class Winner, the Street Machine Class Winner, New Muscle Class Winner, Truck Class Winner and Overall Fast Lap Champion. Stephen Jaques was a volunteer with the Inland Empire Job Corps who, when he heard about the event, jumped at the chance to lend his services. Cars have always interested him, he shared. “My dad collects cars, so I grew up with it. When I heard they were looking for volunteers, I thought, yeah, [I wouldn’t mind] looking at nice cars all day.” He said his favorite car at the event was a white 1968 Volkswagen–Avenger GT, entered by Tim Drake of Highland. Rialto resident Joe Guerra entered his baby-blue 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air into the contest. He said it has been in a few contests before—in 2011 it was voted Most Original in a small local car show he’d entered it into, he shared—and this was the fifth year he’d shown it at the Route 66 Rendezvous event. “I paid $375 for it in 1977. Of course a lot has gone into it since then,” he said. It’s known, he said, affectionately by the family, as “the ‘boo’ car,” because his son had trouble as a very young child pronouncing the word “blue,” for its color. The car still has most of its original chrome, he said, and the car still has its original 238 V8 engine. The Route 66 Rendezvous Car Show is a tradition that the city has observed for the last two decades, and each year draws thousands of visitors both from inside and outside the city. Realizing the city would be unable after its bankruptcy to continue the Rendezvous tradition, members with the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce saw the opportunity to keep the event alive in the city as they felt it was a beneficial event that many looked forward to and enjoyed participating in. “My board members said that we could keep it alive but that it would be a scaled-down version,” said chamber president and CEO Judi Penman. That board included Chairman Jim Gerstenslager, who also serves as chairman of the board for the San Bernardino Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I agreed that we could be a sort of caretaker—I didn’t know the word—but we could be the caretaker for it this year and see what happens,” Penman said. “Overall I’m very happy with it. People are happy, and that’s what I remember about it: its happiness. We wanted people to have fun and that’s what we succeeded in.” A separate car show event also ran that same weekend in Ontario, called the Route 66 Reunion, headed by Shelly McNaul, who was the former director of special events for the San Bernardino Convention and Visitors Bureau, which ended its daily operations this past March. Mary Wilson, Vice Chair of the Chamber’s Economic Development Division, said that there was a lot of organization that went into the event, and that volunteers and organizers all worked together to make it happen. “I think it’s the best group of people working together. Everyone cares about the Route 66 in San Bernardino. People like that there are other ‘car people’ here and it’s not a carnival atmosphere and they like that it’s on the Route 66,” she said. “There are just so many fun things to do.” “I think it’s fantastic and they [the Chamber] outdid themselves,” said Brian Goddard, a SBA Chamber member and owner of various businesses. “It’s quaint but it’s perfect. I have been coming to this [event] since its inception. I feel very loyal to San Bernardino and they did a great job with this.”