Rev up your expectations! Friday
starts 16th season of Cruise Nite
April 02, 2014
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula Times You’ll want to rev up your expectations for Friday’s Cruise Nite, the debut of the 16th season of cool cars, great tunes, family fun and fabulous times!
The First Friday of the Month Santa Paula Cruise Nite is held April through October from about 5 p.m. to dusk when East Main Street is closed between 10th and 7th streets.
The Downtown is filled with Cruise Nite cars and other classic or vintage vehicles, all pre-1975 models that park along Main and the side streets where they are the ultimate eye-candy for visitors.
Cruise Nite favorite Johnny & The Love Handles will be playing Friday for the crowd that enjoys the ambiance of the historic Downtown, eating at the fine restaurants-many that offer Cruise Nite Specials-and visiting Santa Paula’s unique shops.
Cruise Nite has been voted Best Car Show by the readers of the VC Reporter and its reputation for free family fun can’t be beat.
Santa Paula Police Lt. Ish Cordero said Cruise Nite is famous throughout Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties not only for the great cars and great times to be had, but also for the highly collectible Cruise Nite T-shirts, each month featuring a participating vehicle drawn by noted artist Wendell Dowling.
The Santa Paula Police Officers Association, which co-sponsors Cruise Nite with the Chamber of Commerce, does not stage the event for a profit, but rather for a higher return.
Said Cordero, “The thing I like most about Cruise Nite is that it brings the community together, welcomes visitors to a great car show where we’ve never had any problems, no confrontations whatsoever.
“Cruise Nite brings a crowd of people to our historic downtown to see the cars, eat, drink, rock out to the music and have fun... and that’s what it’s all about, sharing Santa Paula with people. We are helping the community with Cruise Nite and the community has a great time in a clean, safe environment.”
And it has a loyal following: “From what I understand from Henry and David,” retired SPPD Officers Aguilar and Anderson respectively, who coordinate the event, “there are some cars that have been in since the inception of Cruise Nite, parking in the same parking space, year-in-year-out,” each month during the season.
“I tend to be there by 4 p.m. and I see the same people sitting in their lounge chairs waiting for that spot to open up,” so they can pull their car into the favored slot.
“They’re there all right,” said Cordero, as are the scores of photographers and videographers that can’t wait for Cruise Nite’s numerous picture perfect possibilities
There has been some thought to expanding Cruise Nite in the future, perhaps adding a Farmers Market component at one end, but Cordero said it would depend on how much new attractions would compete with existing downtown businesses.
But that’s for the future and now Cordero is just eager to welcome back Cruise Nite: “I like all the cars, they’re all really, really nice. I’m a Chevy guy,” and he noted classic Chevrolet trucks are often at the top of the wish list for custom T-shirt buyers.
Cordero said organizers would also like to explore sponsorships, “Maybe some business being a sponsor for a Cruise Nite, that would be great... as it is we’ll be there, have a great time and come by our T-shirt stand,” located at Davis Street on the north side of Main Street.
