Central Valley Classic Cars

On short notice this morning, my dad Doug, my son Micah and I piled into my dad’s mustang (not the 67, but a recent year, everyday driver, that’s really my mom’s) and headed out to Gustine to catch the 29th Annual Linguica Run.

We pass through Gustine often on our way to San Juan Baptista or to Santa Cruz, and we pass by a nice, green park with a large pond in the middle surrounded by ample open space and adequate tree shade. I just assumed this park was our destination. But when we got there, there were no cars, and the sign said Harry Schmit Park, not the expected “Henry Miller Park” stated on the flier.

A friendly local pointed us in the right direction and we quickly made our way over and found a parking spot on a tree lined street just outside the park.

Friendly Small, Westside Town

The Linquica Run is hosted by the Westside Auto Club and you get the sense that the participants are a strong representation of the Central Valley west side. People are friendly and seem to know each other. The green and well shaded park is not large and was packed tightly with cars – not so tight that moving around was impaired, but tight enough that snapping pictures was a little challenging. The small town friendly vibe was at full amplitude and the lack of pomp was refreshing.

Car selection was similar to what I found at the Springtime Reunion in Atwater, with adjustment to the noted era cap at 1976 (classics only, nothing younger than 32 years). Again, I searched in vein for an E-Type representative. No Jaguars at all. And again, the showing was clearly domestic-centric, though I did spot 5 Volkswagons. But also again, I got the sense that these cars were cherished and cared for. Some maybe people’s first cars, or a similar model, or maybe the car they really wished they had in high school. Many customized, ranging from the exhibitionist to the subtly refined.

Some Really Old Cars

Also interesting were the showing of pre-WWII cars, at least one predating the First World War. Again, nothing really exotic, mostly assembly-line Fords, but anything that old is pretty special to encounter. My dad speculates that many of them are probably family cars… Grand-dad’s old buggie that was back in the barn under hey for years.

A Very Nice ‘67 Mustang

Not more than 10 paces into the park and my dad spied a friendly face. It was Donny Baker whom my dad knows from doing business with San Benito Glass in Merced. Dad had tracked Donny’s restoration of a 1967 Fastback (see the first 2 pictures with this article). Donny’s got pictures of the process that he had on displace with the car. I’m hoping he’ll let me scan them and post them here with a story on the project.

Hub of the Show

There was a bunch of extracurricular activity happening at the center of the north end of the park. It looked like the administrative hub was in the area, but also ongoing raffles and barbecue pits. A stage was set up with sound wired to PA speakers throughout the park. The announcers were smooth and professional and highlighted other upcoming shows in the valley for people to take note of. Oh, and the food smelled delicious. We had to head out before lunch, so I can only assume that everyone who remained ate really well.

For more info on the event, check out the WestsideConnect article.