Santee Car Show draws thousands

The second annual Santee Car Show attracted thousands of visitors to the community on Saturday, October 8. The event featured classic cars, great music by Moondawgs and 4 Lads from Liverpool, and a wide variety of vendors. The big winners on the day were the Santee Santas and Santee Food Bank, two community groups that received support and increased awareness through the event.

(L-R) Laura Plante, Sam Modica and Vicki Cecil of Santee Santas at the Santee Car Show

Santee Santas is a non-profit organization that has been providing support to low income seniors and families in the community since 1953. The all-volunteer group works with the Santee School District to identify students and families who need assistance at the holidays and throughout the year. The Family Emergency Fund is available at any time of the year, while the Holiday Food and Toy Program focuses on providing assistance at the holidays. The group also has a Senior Outreach Program that works to make sure that seniors in the community are not forgotten about during the year. Sam Modica, one of the organization’s directors explained that being a part of the Car Show “gives us quite a bit of exposure to the community that we didn’t have in years past.” The group hopes that its attendance at the Car Show and the Santee Street Fair will help bring in both donations and volunteers to help the organization throughout the year.

Sandy Olewine (L) and Marsi Walker (R) of Santee Food Bank

The second organization, Santee Food Bank, has been helping families in Santee since 1988, and has found its services in much greater demand since the start of the Great Recession. Another all-volunteer group, the Food Bank provides once-a-month assistance to needy low and middle income families in the community. Marsi Walker, Public Affairs Director, said that the exposure at the Car Show is a great benefit for the Food Bank in its efforts to reach out the the greater community for volunteers and donations. “The fact that the Chamber is so supportive of us and sponsors the Car Show to help benefit the Food Bank means so much to us,” said Walker. “We are out here giving out flyers inviting people to come and work at the Food Bank, to give their time and energy and service, and we have collection cans throughout the show for donations.”

One of the biggest draws for the Car Show was the raffle of a restored 1967 Ford Mustang GT, sponsored by the Santee Chamber of Commerce. Only 2000 tickets were sold at $20 each, with money going to the Santee Santas and the Santee Food Bank. The car was restored by Lloyd’s Collision and Repair of Santee, with help from San Diego Mustang Shop, Mark’s Auto Glass, Mark Luhr’s Custom Upholstery and Xpress Muffler. Bob Lloyd, owner of Lloyd’s Collision and a member of the Santee Chamber of Commerce, said that the raffle had been so popular that the Chamber plans to repeat it next year, possibly with a classic Chevy Camaro.

(L-R) Miss Teen Santee Savannah Keener, Miss Santee Maria Maes, and "Mr. Santee" Rob McNelis

Also on hand for the show were Miss Santee, Maria Maes, and Miss Teen Santee, Savannah Keener, who helped choose two of the winning cars in the show. “It was so difficult coming through and picking our favorite cars,” said Savannah. “There were so many people out here with their special cars.” Maria echoed her teen counterpart’s enthusiasm. “Coming to the Car Show was amazing. All of the beautiful cars we saw, and we got to choose our favorite cars. It was a tough decision.”

After the success of the second Car Show, it’s no surprise that planning is already under way for the third edition, scheduled for early October, 2012. The next major event in Santee will be the Santee Holiday Lighting Celebration in November, followed by the annual Santee Street Fair in May, 2012.

Win a Classic Mustang at the Santee Car Show

Win this 1967 Ford Mustang at the 2011 Santee Car Show

The second annual Santee Car Show is coming up on Saturday, October 8, and this year the Santee Chamber of Commerce will be raffling off a classic 1967 Ford Mustang to help raise funds for the Santee Santas and the Santee Food Bank. Only 2000 of the $20 tickets will be sold, so odds are much better than the Lottery. The Chamber has been selling the tickets at regular events and at special displays around town, including at the Santee Wine & Bluegrass Festival and in front of local stores. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the Car Show.

2010 Santee Car Show Grand Trophy Winner

The first Santee Car Show was a great success, with over 10,000 visitors attending. The first show included over 175 classic cars, trucks and motorcycles, music, games, vendor booths, and much more. This year the show will include over 200 vehicles, plus a display by the Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association. As before, there will be games, rides, and over food and vendor booths. The big draw this year – besides the cars – will be musical guest 4 Lads from Liverpool, a top Beatles tribute band. The Lads will be performing on stage in the afternoon, followed by a photo session at the Beatles Fan Club booth nearby. A portion of the funds raised from the photos will go to the event’s fundraising efforts.

For more information visit the Santee Car Show website.

Read about the 2010 Santee Car Show.

Thousands Attend First Annual Santee Car Show

Following up on the success of the two-year-old Santee Street Fair, the Santee Chamber of Commerce pulled off the first Santee Car Show on Saturday, October 9. The day saw an estimated 10,000 visitors enjoying over 175 classic cars, trucks, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles, a wine and beer garden, and music by local band Ramshackle and San Diego favorite The Corvettes. Adding to the fun were dozens of local businesses and food establishments, and a generous sprinkling of political candidates.

The Car Show was a way to both showcase Santee and its businesses and to support two special organizations: Santee Santas and the Santee Food Bank. Santee Santas is a community support group that provides food and toys to needy Santee families at the holidays. They also have an emergency fund program and a senior outreach program for seniors who are alone or in nursing homes. The Santee Food Bank provides non-perishable food for needy families in the community. Both of these groups benefitted greatly from the exposure as well as from donations and money raised through a silent auction and other activities.

The day also became an opportunity for the community to come together for one more special cause – a young Santee boy named Ryan who was recently diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Ryan was diagnosed on August 13 and has already had two surgeries on the tumor, but you would not have known by looking at him. He was bright, spunky, and not too overwhelmed with all the attention he was getting. Santana National Little League had a booth taking donations toward his medical bills, and his family, which already has a disabled 5-year-old child, will hold a fundraiser at Jimano’s Pizza on Thursday, October 21 from 7:00-9:00 pm. At the Show, Ryan received a baseball autographed by former Padre and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith from the Chamber, and Ramshackle gave him a set of drumsticks from their set. You can follow up with Ryan and his family on Facebook and at CaringBridge.org.

This being election time, the politicians were popping up like mushrooms after a heavy rain – not that we know much about heavy rains in Santee. Candidates for local, state, and national offices were there in person or through their local supporters to meet the public and answer questions. At least 5 of the 8 candidates for City Council put in appearances, as did many of those running for Padre Dam Water District Board and local school boards. Watch for some interviews with candidates over the next few weeks.

As with the Street Fair, music was a big part of the day. Local band Ramshackle, featuring lead vocalist Eddie Vandiver, entertained the crowd with a mix of music by artists as varied as Tommy Tutone, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Ramshackle was followed on stage by, fittingly for a car show, The Corvettes.  One of the top oldies bands in San Diego, The Corvettes include keyboardist Sam Witkin, an original member of Sha-Na-Na and veteran of Woodstock.

Of course the big draw of the day was the collection of amazing vehicles at the show. From wonderfully restored classic cars to amazingly detailed and decorated modern cars, there was a vehicle to satisfy just about everyone. The Show and its sponsors provided a number of trophies for the top cars, including Sponsor Trophies, People’s Choice, and the Best of Show Trophy. In addition, a plaque was presented to the club that brought the most cars to the show. For the first year that award went to the Poway Cruisers for bringing 10 cars. Other top winners are below. Apologies for any misspelled names.

Best of Show: 1931 Ford Phaeton owned by Stan and Judy Spate

Firestone Trophy: 1967 Chevy Camaro owned by Bob Dunn

Mothers Trophy: 1969 Chevy Camaro owned by Pat Newman

Miss Santee 2010 Trophy: 1932 Ford Coupe owned by Al Aguilar

Miss Santee Teen 2010 Trophy: 1965 Ford Mustang owned by Mike Evans

S&S Trophies Trophy: 1965 Ford Mustang owned by Gary Canfield

Lloyd’s Collision Trophy: 1969 Chevy Chevelle owned by Tom Harmon*

Best Buy Trophy: 1959 Buick LaSabre owned by Steve Parker*

*The Lloyd’s Collision and Best Buy Trophies were accepted by designates of the winners.

Update: Additional Photos.

Sadly, shortly after the car show my hard drive crashed before I had the chance to back up my photos. The link above is to a few I put online just before the crash.

Santee Car Show Revs Up for Saturday

How do you follow up a wildly successful street fair? If you’re Santee you put together what promises to be an equally successful car show. The first annual Santee Car Show will take place on Saturday, October 9, along Riverview Parkway, the same site as the Santee Street Fair. The show will feature over 200 classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles, vendors, food booths, music, and a wine and beer garden. The fun starts at 9:00 am and continues until 5:00 pm and admission is free.

The Santee Chamber of Commerce has worked hard to bring together a great lineup for the day. Local band Ramshackle will lead off the musical entertainment, followed by headliners The Corvettes. As an added treat, the Fabulous World-Famous Corvette Diner Dancers will be on hand to perform some of their own creative routines. The Car Show will also feature special guest MC Clint August of 101KGB’s “BC and Clint” afternoon drive-time show.

Along with a showcase for cool cars and great businesses, the Car Show is a fundraiser for two important organizations: Santee Santas and the Santee Food Bank. Santee Santas is a community support group that provides food and toys to needy Santee families at the holidays. They also have an emergency fund program and a senior outreach program for seniors who are alone or in nursing homes. The Santee Food Bank provides non-perishable food for needy families in the community. Representatives of both groups will be accepting donations of food and money during the event.

If you enjoy hot cars, cool music, and fun, be sure to check out the Santee Car Show this Saturday. For more information, check out the Santee Car Show website.

Santee Car Show Coming Soon

Artwork by Jim Busike

The same folks who brought you the hugely successful Santee Street Fair are at it again. On Saturday, October 9, the Santee Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the first annual Santee Car Show and Festival. The event will take place in the same location as the Street Fair – on Riverview Parkway, just east of Santee Trolley Center. There will be over 200 cars, trucks, hot rods, motorcycles, and other vehicles, along with music and other entertainment, and a Beer and Wine Garden. The show has spaces for 150 vendors, but these are going quickly, as are the spaces for show cars.

The Santee Car Show will not only spotlight local businesses and some of the great cars in the region, but will also help raise funds for Santee Santas, a local organization that helps support struggling families in the community, and the Santee Food Bank. Organizers are encouraging everyone who attends to bring non-perishable food to donate to these two great groups. The fun starts at 9:00 am and lasts until 5:00 pm. For more information on car or vendor space check out the links at the end.

These pictures show a few of the cars that took part in the Italia Ristorante Car Show in January. Will some of them be in the Santee Car Show? You’ll have to come down October 9 to find out.

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