Cars, Cruise & Community LeadershipIf you’ve got one, flaunt it.
The 16th annual Cannibal Cruise is a car-lover’s chance to display a classic car at the Truckee Regional Park. Events start Friday, July 7 and continue with three days of food, live music, dancing and a street fair.
Cars range from pickups to Camaros, and must be 1974 or older to compete. The favorites usually depend on what car a participant had in high school or the first car they drove, said Steve Maitland, the event coordinator.
"Everyone's got their own niche that they like," said Maitland, who has displayed his own 1960 T-Bird at the show every few years.
The Cruise kicks off Friday with music from Jimmy & The Jets, a band as classic as the cars. The Road Rockets will play Saturday during the afternoon. Spectators can watch the cars drive through historic downtown Truckee from 6-7 p.m. Papa Clutch and The Shifters, another Cruise classic will follow in the evening with a sock-hop.
Sunday will be a half-day of events, including a poker run, barbecue, games, a car raffle and the awards ceremony.
All participants help with the judging, a method called "peer-judging." They are asked to judge eight other classes based on standards like the shape of the car, the condition, the interior and the engine.
One car from each class will receive a plaque. The 10 major awards, or the sponsor awards, are trophies.
The Cruise is one of the Truckee Optimist Club's two major fund-raisers. The proceeds with go to local youth activities. Along with more than $10 thousand in scholarships, the club gives money to drama and band programs at schools, many high school athletics, Little League and youth soccer, just to name a few.
After 16 years, the Cruise has come to have a national following. People come from all over California as well as Idaho, Utah, Oregon and Washington to participate.
The show began when three members of the local Optimist Club, Grant Pitches, Ray Martel and Maitland were looking for a fund-raiser. After some research and visits to car shows in other areas, they presented the idea to the club. The first show hosted 145 cars.
Choosing a name for the cruise was the hard part, Maitland said. A few club members tossed around ideas, until they found one that describes the process of creating a classic car.
"(Building classic cars) is the cannibalization of cars to make one car," said Maitland. "You have to pull apart two or three cars to make one really good car these days."
Over the years, participation has increased, and Maitland expects 200-300 cars this year. Potential participants can register online at www.truckeeoptimist.com, call the hotline at 530-582-9062 to request a form, or register the Friday of the cruise.
— Alisha Wyman
See these links for more stories on Cannibal Cruise:For the love of Lucy (a car story)Hotshot, a one-of-a-kind carCannibal Cruise Schedule:Show n’ shine, cruise in, street fairs and BBQ’s, a selection of live music and much more can be enjoyed at the 16th annual Cannibal Cruise event. Check out the schedule below and plan your fun weekend:
Friday July 7Noon - 7pm Car Registration
4pm – 8pm Street Fair, Nostalgia Fair, Food, Games
7pm – 11pm Rock n’ Roll Party with music by Jimmy & The Jets (Free)
Saturday July 88am - 11pm Street Fair, Nostalgia Fair, food, & games
7am - 10am Breakfast by Lions Club, east side of park
8am - 10am Car Registration
11am – 3pm Show n’ Shine
Noon – 3pm Judging
Noon – 4pm Live music by the Road Rockets
4pm – 8pm BBQ Steak & Chicken Dinner
6pm – 7pm Car Cruise, see map
7pm – 11pm Sock Hop Featuring Papa Clutch & The Shifters - Tickets $5
Sunday July 98am - 4pm Street Fair, Nostalgia Fair, food, & games
7am - 10am Breakfast by Lions Club, east side of park
8am – Noon Poker Run (open to everyone)
11am - 3pm Show n’ Shine
1pm – 3pm Award ceremony and Parade of Winners
3pm Car Raffle Drawing, for more information call 530-582-9062 or
775-345-6083 or check out truckeeoptimist.com
Truckee Cruise — Saturday July 8thThe Saturday cruise will leave at 6pm. There will be announcements for line-up time. The route is to the downtown area on Donner Pass Road from the Truckee River Regional Park. From downtown drive onto the “circle-of-death” and return back into downtown. At Commercial Row, make a right hand turn at the stop sign, then another right hand turn at the diner onto West River Street. Take the first right which brings you back to the circle and back through downtown Commercial Row. Do this as many times as you wish. Charlie Mazza will lead the cruise.
Have fun and obey all traffic laws. Then we’ll see you at the dance.
Cannibal Cruise celebrates 16th year
This year Papa Clutch and the Shifters will be playing their tunes at Truckee Regional Park, just as they have for the last 16 years. And vintage car owners that have come from as far away as Illinois and Florida will still be attracted by the car competition, cruise and “show n’ shine” that has been consistently successful for the last decade and a half.
“The event,” Maitland said, “is going to be around for a long time.”