Double shot of cruising at Cruise Nite, First Sunday at SP Airport
June 01, 2016
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
You’ll get a double shot of cruising with the Cruise Knights playing at Friday’s Cruise Nite and more family Sunday at First Sunday at Santa Paula Airport Open House!
Both free events draw visitors from throughout Southern California and beyond to enjoy unique activities in the historic Downtown and at the famed Santa Paula Airport.
Cruise Nite, held the First Friday of the Month April through October, will cruise into town early with hundreds of pre-1975 vehicles. Hundreds of vintage car owners drive their sweet rides into town where they park on East Main Street between closed 10th and 7th streets. Side streets are also filled with cars from 5 p.m. to dusk but the party goes on past dark.
Many area restaurants offer Cruise Nite specials, the area has unique shops and there’s plenty of good music, this month featuring the Cruise Knights!
The popular Cruise Knight band features Del Sawyer, Carlos Juarez, Wes Easley, Jerry Byrum and Paul Skeels and will be playing hot tunes at the foot of the historic Odd Fellows Clock Tower building.
Santa Paula’s very own classic rock band will perform from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Well known on the So-Cal classic car show circuit, the Cruise Knights have just performed their fourth annual show at the Kern County Fairgrounds for the National Street Rod Association’s western regional meet.
The band features their favorite rock songs from the 60’s to the 80’s with a couple from the 50’s and 90’s thrown in for good measure.
The group has been performing together for several years and said Skeels, “Santa Paula Cruise Nite is always a great gig!”
Across the street is where Cruise Nite fans can buy custom designed T-shirts, each month a new design of a car that is featured at the first and most famous continuous car show in Ventura County.
Whether a family outing, date night, girls night out or just hanging with the guys, Cruise Nite is a great way to spend Friday evening!
The Santa Paula Airport Open House on the First Sunday of the Month promises a day of fun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. except if cancelled for rain.
Local history comes alive at the historic airport, opened in 1930 and a favorite destination for noted aviators and celebrities for more than eight decades.
The Aviation Museum of Santa Paula and the Museum’s Chain of Hangars are open on the First Sunday to explore. You’ll see unusual collections and memorabilia and meet pilots and others that love to talk about flying and aircraft.
This Sunday the Ventura Early Ford V8 Club will have vehicles on display and at 11 a.m. a Spotlight Aircraft presentation will feature one of the unique aircraft housed at the airport.
The Young Eagles program offers free plane rides for youth ages 8 to 17; contact Neil Fowler at (805) 647-6994 for more information and reservations.
The Aviation Museum history exhibit, featuring video from the 1930 opening of Santa Paula Airport, uniforms, memorabilia and displays also houses the Gift Shop where something special for lovers of airplanes and aviation is available for all ages.
Owners also display their planes at First Sunday at the airport, the Antique Airplane Capital of the World, where many vintage aircraft share space with modern flyers.
Visitors can pick up a free map from the home museum hangar and visit the hangars in any order they wish, either by walking the airport or catching a free tram.
The easily accessible airport is on Santa Maria Street just east of 8th Street on the south side of Highway 126.
