Image source: pe.com
No hard feelings.
That’s what folks at the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce say about a Route 66 event the Greater Ontario Convention and Visitors Bureau is holding the same weekend as their classic car show.
Both organizations jumped in to revive San Bernardino’s Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous that was canceled after a 22-year run.
“If you snooze, you lose. San Bernardino can’t afford to lose one more thing,” said chamber CEO Judi Penman, explaining why her organization is hosting Rendezvous Back to Route 66.
The dueling events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21. Ontario’s Route 66 Cruisin’ Reunion continues Sunday, Sept. 22.
Right now, it looks like Ontario’s will eclipse San Bernardino’s version.
About 300 classic cars are signed up in San Bernardino, according to Penman.
More than 600 cars are signed up for the Ontario event, and 100 to 200 more will probably register at the gate, said Michael Krouse, CEO of the Ontario CVB.
Neither will come close to the 1,500 vintage vehicles the Rendezvous featured.
Ontario has the advantage for setting. Tree-shaded Euclid Avenue will be closed down, and an officially sanctioned cruise will run the historic boulevard near City Hall.
On Saturday night, more than 100 artists, live bands and food vendors will create “Art Splash” amid the classic cars, showcasing Ontario’s art-loft district.
The San Bernardino event will be confined to the baseball stadium and parking lot. A Friday night “rebel cruise” will go rogue.
Krouse is determined to make the Ontario event an annual tradition drawing classic-car enthusiasts from across the country: an iconic, West Coast event at the end of every summer, he said.
He already trademarked the name. It’s all about filling hotel rooms, restaurants and nightclubs with out-of-town visitors, he said.
San Bernardino aimed lower: keep the Rendezvous alive until times are better and Stater Bros. green-lights a return.
The Rendezvous already was on shaky ground last year. The Convention and Visitors Bureau, which ran it, was on its last legs after the state eliminated redevelopment agencies, killing its funding.
An outpouring of support from fans and local businesses saved it in 2012.
But this year, with the city bankrupt and the CVB dissolved — and downtown streets torn up to build express-bus lanes — there was no one to run the Rendezvous, no money for policing and cleanup. Stater Bros. CEO Jack Brown decreed a temporary hold.
In March, the chamber stepped in.
The stadium is charging about $11,000, Penman said. Admission will be charged for the first time: $5 for adults; children under 16 free with an adult. Registration fees and sponsors will defray the rest of the costs.
A Shelby Mustang will put on a show at twilight Friday; A sock hop and costume contest follow. Hot rods, street machines, muscle cars and trucks will compete on an obstacle course Saturday. Doors close at 4 p.m.
I scour the city for old and rusty cars that would go into the Bill Lauder garage for full-scale restoration. I obsess about my own car projects through my Twitter.
